Adam Khan carries a gun for his work as a security officer. Eric Stein has a concealed carry license but also uses his gun for home protection. Brittany Ramos is looking to get her concealed carry license once her boyfriend becomes certified to teach her the course himself.

They all share something in common: a desire to protect themselves and others.

In 2001, a Harvard University study found that 3.5 percent of college students own firearms. At that time, about 14 million students attended a two- or four-year university, so when the study was conducted, close to half a million college students owned a firearm.

On the job

As college jobs go, one that requires a gun is definitely not on par with flipping burgers.

Adam Khan, a security officer at Mil-Spec Security Group, a for-hire security business, and a coworker told several stories in which shots were almost fired—situations when they had to draw their guns.

“Everyone romanticizes it like westerns, but if you ever pull one and put it to a guy’s chest, you’re praying to god. You’re praying to god that you don’t have to use it,” says a Mil-Spec officer and business graduate student from western Kansas who wishes to remain anonymous.

Khan, Wichita graduate student, says each time he had to draw his gun, time slowed down; he had a moment to think about the situation. Fortunately, he’s never had to shoot someone.

Though Khan carries a gun for work, he also keeps several guns at home for recreational purposes and home protection.

For personal protection

After concealed carry became legal in Kansas in 2006, more than 14,000 people have applied and attained a concealed carry license. It costs $150 and requires an eight-hour training course. Still, 1,252 Kansas residents between the ages of 20 and 30 have a concealed carry license.

Eric Stein, Topeka senior, is the campus leader of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at KU. He says he takes his carrying a gun as a responsibility and feels that he’d rather be prepared in any situation than risk that one time when he isn’t. He even carries to church—the pastor knows and is fine with it.

“That’s where I feel somewhat on the job,” Stein says. “I sit in the back and make sure everything goes according to plan. Not that I’m required to carry a gun in church, but I’m sure that I feel safer and others feel safer.”

Owning a gun, and being comfortable with it, can also be a way to break from standard gender roles.

“I’m kind of a part-time feminist,” says Brittany Ramos, Overland Park senior. “I don’t prefer to have to rely on other people to protect me.”

In Kansas, 12 percent of licensed concealed carriers are women.

At the home

College students are not the prime market for home security systems—how many college dwellings have you seen with a security system? Probably not many. Some students prefer to protect their homes with a firearm instead.

Khan, the Mil-Spec officer, recalls a time when he felt the need to use a gun for protection in his home.

“I hear a window breaking,” Khan says. “I grab my shotgun, jack a shell into it and it ended up being the guy next door drunk out of his mind thinking it was his house and trying to get into his bed. The houses were identical.”

Luckily no one was hurt, and Khan’s neighbor paid for the broken window. After that, though, he didn’t see much of his neighbor. Khan says he thinks after the incident, his neighbor was afraid of him.

Khan, Stein and Ramos mentioned comfort as a reason for owning the firearms. They felt more comfortable with a firearm being in their homes than without it there. A level of uncertainty in regard to everyday life is also present. It’s not that gun owners, on a whole, are paranoid—it’s just that they’d prefer to feel ready if a terrible situation happens.

“I really want my family to not only feel safe but be safe in my home,” Stein says. “It makes me feel better knowing that I have a means to protect myself.”