I went to a small Eastern engineering college, and graduated in 2002. This story happened my junior year. Guns were prohibited in the dorms. However, I know that several students kept their trap shotguns in the dorms. None of these guns was used defensively in the time I was there, and they never were used to hurt anyone either.
There was one place, however, where a gun made a difference.
The dorms on that side of campus adjoin kind of a bad area, and a homeless man / derelict managed to get in to the women's dorm. He was angry over some imagined slight, and was running around the halls with a knife screaming about "cutting" someone. The dorm went into "lockdown", and campus security and the police were called. The guy with the knife continued to roam the halls with his knife.
The police still hadn't arrived when an RA stepped out of her room with an old double-barrel 12 gauge shotgun. She pointed it at his chest and yelled "GET THE ^%$( out of MY DORM, MOTHER%^$*#R!!!" He went and ran.
The police arrived at the front door as the guy was leaving a vapor trail out the BACK door, so they never caught him. The shotgun was never mentioned in the incident report. "I dunno, I just yelled at him and he ran".
I have met the RA in question. This story is true to the best of my knowledge.
There was one place, however, where a gun made a difference.
The dorms on that side of campus adjoin kind of a bad area, and a homeless man / derelict managed to get in to the women's dorm. He was angry over some imagined slight, and was running around the halls with a knife screaming about "cutting" someone. The dorm went into "lockdown", and campus security and the police were called. The guy with the knife continued to roam the halls with his knife.
The police still hadn't arrived when an RA stepped out of her room with an old double-barrel 12 gauge shotgun. She pointed it at his chest and yelled "GET THE ^%$( out of MY DORM, MOTHER%^$*#R!!!" He went and ran.
The police arrived at the front door as the guy was leaving a vapor trail out the BACK door, so they never caught him. The shotgun was never mentioned in the incident report. "I dunno, I just yelled at him and he ran".
I have met the RA in question. This story is true to the best of my knowledge.