The Leading Authority For Campus Public Safety

Position Statement on Reducing Gun Violence

Position Statement on Reducing Gun Violence and Keeping Campuses Safe

 

The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) represents campus law enforcement and public safety personnel across the world.  Based on mass casualty events in the United States, the organization feels it is important to speak to the issue of gun violence prevention on college campuses.  We will always support the Constitution, the laws of our individual countries, and the rights set forth in them. It is clear from recent mass casualty events, however, that existing laws and policies must be re-examined.  We also believe our long-standing positions on issues ranging from behavior threat assessment teams to expanding the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI) to higher education can help prevent these incidents.

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 required domestic gun manufacturers to stop production of semi-automatic assault weapons and ammunition magazines holding more than ten rounds except for military or police use. As noted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), while the ban was in place from 1994 – 2004, the proportion of assault weapons traced to crimes fell by 66 percent (On Target: The Impact of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapon Act, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 2004).

Mass casualty shootings have created a level of risk and fear that permeates communities, including schools and college campuses. Given that it is our responsibility as police chiefs and public safety executives to protect our communities, we must take every reasonable measure to prevent and reduce the impact of firearm violence.

Accordingly, IACLEA supports a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines for civilian use. We also support a ban on the manufacture, sale or possession of bump stock devices, which enable semi-automatic rifles to fire at nearly the rate of a machine gun. Additionally, we recommend that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives be funded and staffed at levels sufficient to allow that agency to carry out their critical mission of enforcing existing federal laws.

Further, IACLEA supports the following measures to help prevent mass casualty shootings:

  • Expanded use of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO).

 

  • Increased resources to support the establishment and operations of behavior threat assessment and management teams in K – 12 schools, and colleges and universities.

 

  • Increased resources to support the implementation of anonymous tip lines serving K – 12 schools, and colleges and universities.
  • Increased resources to support expanding the availability of mental health services for K – 12 schools, and colleges and universities.

 

  • Authorizing the use of Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI) funds to expand the National Averted School Violence Database to cover colleges and universities.

 

  • Additional research on the nexus between domestic violence and mass casualty shootings.

 

  • Universal background checks for all firearms purchases.

 

  • Raising the minimum age for purchase of rifles to 21 years of age consistent with the minimum age for purchase of a handgun established in the federal Gun Control Act of 1968.

 

  • Providing sufficient resources for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to receive and investigate reports regarding individuals exhibiting concerning behavior.

 

March 5, 2018

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