Gun Ownership Research Articles

Firearm Ownership and Support for Political Violence in the United States

Little is known about support for and willingness to engage in political violence in the United States. Such violence would likely involve firearms. To evaluate whether firearm owners' and nonowners' support for political violence differs and whether support among owners varies by type of firearms owned, recency of purchase, and frequency of carrying a loaded firearm in public. This cross-sectional nationally representative survey study was conducted from May 13 to June 2, 2022, among US adult members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, including an oversample of firearm owners. Firearm ownership vs nonownership. Main outcomes concern (1) support for political violence, in general and to advance specific political objectives; (2) personal willingness to engage in political violence, by severity of violence and target population; and (3) perceived likelihood of firearm use in political violence. Outcomes are expressed as weighted proportions and adjusted prevalence differences, with P values adjusted for the false-discovery rate and reported as q values. The analytic sample comprised 12 851 respondents: 5820 (45.3%) firearm owners, 6132 (47.7%) nonowners without firearms at home, and 899 (7.0%) nonowners with firearms at home. After weighting, 51.0% (95% CI, 49.9%-52.1%) were female, 8.5% (95% CI, 7.5%-9.5%) Hispanic, 9.1% (95% CI, 8.1%-10.2%) non-Hispanic Black, and 62.6% (95% CI, 61.5%-63.8%) non-Hispanic White; the mean (SD) age was 48.5 (18.0) years. Owners were more likely than nonowners without firearms at home to consider violence usually or always justified to advance at least 1 of 17 specific political objectives (owners: 38.8%; 95% CI, 37.3%-40.4%; nonowners: 29.8%; 95% CI, 28.5%-31.2%; adjusted difference, 6.5 percentage points; 95% CI, 4.5-9.3 percentage points; q < .001) but were not more willing to engage in political violence. Recent purchasers, owners who always or nearly always carry loaded firearms in public, and to a lesser extent, owners of assault-type rifles were more supportive of and willing to engage in political violence than other subgroups of firearm owners. In this study of support for political violence in the United States, differences between firearm owners and nonowners without firearms at home were small to moderate when present. Differences were greater among subsets of owners than between owners and nonowners. These findings can guide risk-based prevention efforts.

Disentangling Gun Ownership and Leanings to Political Violence in Unstable Times

Disentangling Gun Ownership and Leanings to Political Violence in Unstable Times

Widespread, bipartisan aversion exists to neighbors owning AR-15s or storing guns insecurely

Over 45,000 gun deaths occur annually in the United States, a country with more than 100 million gun owners and more than 350 million guns. Nevertheless, passing legislation to reduce gun violence is difficult because the issue is intensely polarized. Polls asking about general gun policies (e.g., AR-15 restrictions) demonstrate that, at least in the abstract, Americans disagree vehemently about whether civilians should be able to keep and bear arms. It is possible, however, that a hidden consensus exists in America, which has thus far escaped attention-specifically, that when the focus is on their immediate environments and daily lives, even traditionally pro-gun groups may exhibit aversion to certain types of gun ownership and storage practices. To test this, we conducted two preregistered survey experiments with a large national sample. The first was a conjoint analysis where respondents chose between neighbors (n = 33,596 choices) who randomly varied on seven attributes, including gun ownership (none, pistol, AR-15). No group of respondents, not even traditionally pro-gun groups (e.g., Republicans), exhibited a significant preference for living near gun owners, and every group was averse to AR-15-owning neighbors. The second experiment, per debates about safe-storage laws, was a picture-based factorial vignette that randomized a neighbor's gun storage practices (n = 2,098). Every group of respondents was averse to interacting with a neighbor who stored guns outside of a locked safe. Our findings demonstrate that there is widespread agreement that certain types of gun ownership and storage practices are undesirable for communities.

Why Americans increasingly claim to own guns for self-protection: A modern culture of social-psychological threat defense

This article addresses two questions: (a) why do Americans believe that they need guns to defend themselves and their families and (b) why has the number of Americans who share this belief increased dramatically in recent decades? To address the first question, we describe a model of defensive gun ownership that assumes that Americans’ perceived need of a gun for self-defense is not only determined by their perceived lifetime risk of being assaulted (PLRA), but also by some diffuse belief in a dangerous world (BDW). In attempting to identify the dangerous world feared by high BDW gun owners, we review evidence that gun ownership is often associated with racial prejudice and concerns about groups that are stereotypically associated with safety threats (e.g., Black Americans, illegal immigrants). We identified three environmental changes that might exacerbate social threat perceptions: the proliferation of intergroup threat narratives such as the great replacement theory (that White Americans will be replaced by non-White minorities), the COVID-19 pandemic, and a change in the way the American gun industry advertises their products (praising the quality of their guns to emphasize the usefulness of guns for self-defense).

Exploring Firearm Access, Carriage, and Possession among Justice-Involved Youth.

Firearm carriage and possession predicts youth firearm violence victimization and perpetration. This study describes self-reported factors associated with firearm access, carriage, and possession among justice-involved youth. We conducted an exploratory, mixed-methods study. Participants were recruited from May 2022 to February 2023 from the Juvenile Justice Collaborative, a diversion program for justice-involved youth. We used online anonymous surveys to investigate exposures related to firearm access, carriage, and possession. We performed semi-structured interviews using the phenomenology framework. We used descriptive statistics to examine firearm exposures by participant demographics. We performed qualitative analyses using an iterative approach with constant comparison to identify key themes. We completed 28 surveys and 5 interviews. Most survey participants identified as male (57%) and Black (61%) with a median age of 18 years. Interview participants described the socialization and cultural normalization of firearms, most prominently among peers. Survey participants reported whether they had ever carried (25%) or possessed (21%) a firearm. Survey and interview participants endorsed protection in the context of increasing violence exposure over time as the primary motivation for firearm possession. Interview participants describe accessing firearms primarily through social networks while survey participants also reported access from strangers (25%) and licensed sellers/gun dealers (18%). In conclusion, justice-involved youth believe firearm carriage and possession may be needed for protection due to increasing violence exposure. Further investigation is necessary to determine interventions that may decrease firearm access, carriage, and possession among justice-involved youth.

Is Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Fascist? Resolving the Paradoxes of Heroic Violence

ABSTRACTThe Dark Knight Returns traces the polarizing paradoxes seen between the political left and right in the United States—the right at once advocating for distributed networks of self‐defense in widespread firearm availability and keeping the “thin blue line” of state power intact while the left simultaneously rejects both personal defense and policing as viable forms of mediation from bad actors—and then reimagines Batman as a metaphor by which these paradoxes are resolved.

State-Level Firearm Laws and Firearm Homicide in US Cities: Heterogenous Associations by City Characteristics.

Despite well-studied associations of state firearm laws with lower state- and county-level firearm homicide, there is a shortage of studies investigating differences in the effects of distinct state firearm law categories on various cities within the same state using identical methods. We examined associations of 5 categories of state firearm laws-pertaining to buyers, dealers, domestic violence, gun type/trafficking, and possession-with city-level firearm homicide, and then tested differential associations by city characteristics. City-level panel data on firearm homicide casesof 78 majorcities from 2010 to 2020 wasassessed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System. We modeled log-transformed firearm homicide rates as a function of firearm law scores, city, state, and year fixed effects, along with time-varying city-level confounders. We considered effect measure modification by poverty, unemployment, vacant housing, and income inequality. A one z-score increase in state gun type/trafficking, possession, and dealer law scores was associated with 25% (95% confidence interval [CI]:-0.37,-0.1), 19% (95% CI:-0.29,-0.07), and 17% (95% CI:-0.28, -0.4) lower firearm homicide rates, respectively. Protective associations were less pronounced in cities with high unemployment and high housing vacancy, but more pronounced in cities with high income inequality. In large US cities, state-level gun type/trafficking, possession, and dealer laws were associated with lower firearm homicide rates, but buyers and domestic violence laws were not. State firearm laws may have differential effects on firearm homicides based on city characteristics, and city-wide policies to enhance socioeconomic drivers may add benefits of firearm laws.

Harms and Benefits Inventory (HBI): initial validation of a novel assessment of perceived harms and benefits of firearm policies and practices

IntroductionUnderstanding gun owners’ perceptions of potential firearm policies’ harms and benefits is critical to successful policy development and implementation. We used national survey data to develop and validate a novel...

Trends in pediatric firearm-related injuries and disparities in acute outcomes.

Firearm-related injuries (FRI) are an increasing cause of death and injury in children. The etiology for this rise is multifactorial and includes socioeconomic factors. Despite its prevalence and documented increase over COVID-19, there is a paucity of research on disparities and the influence of social determinants of health (SDH) in pediatric FRI. This study aims to explore the epidemiology of this vulnerable population in Atlanta, trends over time and relevant dates such as COVID-19 and a state firearm law, and disparities in clinical outcomes. Retrospective cohort of patients with FRI (0-20 years-old, x̄=9.8, Median = 11) presenting to our hospital EDs from January 2014 to April 2023 (N = 701) and eligible for the Trauma Registry. This period includes two major events, namely the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020), and passage of state law Constitutional Carry Act (SB 319) (April 2022), allowing for permit-less concealed firearm carry. Single series interrupted time series (ITS) models were run and clinical outcome differences between race and insurance groups were calculated unadjusted and adjusted for confounders using inverse propensity treatment weights (IPTW). The primary outcome was mortality; secondary are admission and discharge. Majority of FRI involved patients who were male (76.7%), Black (74.9%), publicly insured (82.6%), ≤12 years-old (61.8%), and injured by unintentional shootings (45.6%) or assault (43.7%). During COVID-19, there was a sustained increase in FRI rate by 0.42 patients per 1,000 trauma visits per month (95% CI 0.02-0.82, p = 0.042); post-SB 319 it was 2.3 patients per 1,000 trauma visits per month (95% CI 0.23-4.31, p = 0.029). Publicly insured patients had 58% lower odds of mortality than privately insured patients (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.18-0.99, p = 0.047). When controlled for race and mechanism of injury, among other confounding factors, this association was not significant (p = 0.652). Pediatric FRI are increasing over time, with disproportionate burdens on Black patients, at our hospitals. Disparities in mortality based on insurance necessitate further study. As social and economic repercussions of COVID-19 are still present, and state firearm law SB 319 is still in effect, assessment of ongoing trends is warranted to inform preventative strategies.

Bullet holes: A novel model to identify the most impactful gaps in the firearm homicide prevention laws of each state.

Firearm homicides (FH) are a major cause of mortality in the United States. Firearm law implementation is variable across states, and legislative gaps may represent opportunities for FH prevention. For each state, we sought to identify which firearm law category would have been most effective if implemented and how effective it would have been. We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining the effects of firearm laws on FH rates in the 48 contiguous US states 2010 to 2019. Data were obtained from the CDC WONDER and FBI UCR databases, State Firearm Law Database, and US Census. Firearm laws were grouped into 14 categories. We assessed the association between the presence of each law category and FH rate as an incidence rate ratio (IRR) using a Poisson regression accounting for state population characteristics and laws of surrounding states. We estimated the IRR for each state that did not have a given law category present and determined which of these missing law categories would have been associated with the greatest reduction in FH rate. FH rates varied widely across states and increased from a mean of 3.2 (SD = 1.7) to 4.2 (SD = 2.9) FH per 100,000. All law categories were significantly associated with decreased FH rate ( p < 0.05), with IRR ranging from 0.25 to 0.85. The most effective missing law category differed between states but was most commonly child access prevention (34.09% of states), assault weapons and large-capacity magazines (15.91%), preemption (15.91%), and concealed carry permitting (13.64%). In total across 2010 to 2019, we estimated that 129,599 fewer FH would have occurred with enactment of the most effective missing law category in each state. Modeling firearm law prevention of FH with regard to state legislative and population characteristics can identify the highest impact missing law categories in each state. These results can be used to inform efforts to reduce FH. Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.

Transition to Permitless Open Carry and Association with Firearm-Related Suicide.

Firearm-related death rates continue to rise in the US. As some states enact more permissive firearm laws, we sought to assess the relationship between a change to permitless open carry (PLOC) and subsequent firearm-related death rates, a currently understudied topic. Using state-level data from 2013 to 2021, we performed a linear panel analysis using a state fixed-effects model. We examined total firearm-related death, suicide, and homicide rates separately. If a significant association between OC law and death rate was found, we then performed a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis to assess for a causal relationship between changing to PLOC and increased death rate. For significant DID results, we performed confirmatory DID separating firearm and nonfirearm death rates. Nineteen states maintained a no OC or permit-required law, whereas 5 changed to permitless and 26 had a PLOC before 2013. The fixed-effects model indicated more permissive OC law that was associated with increased total firearm-related deaths and suicides. In DID, changing law to PLOC had a significant average treatment effect on the treated of 1.57 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.09) for total suicide rate but no significant average treatment effect for the total firearm-related death rate. Confirmatory DID results found a significant average treatment effect on the treated of 1.18 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.46) for firearm suicide rate. OC law is associated with total firearm-related death and suicide rates. Based on our DID results, changing to PLOC is indeed strongly associated with increased suicides by firearm.

Firearm ownership and storage among US college students: results from the healthy minds study, 2021-2022.

The purpose of this study is to address a significant gap in knowledge on firearm ownership rates and storage characteristics in a national sample of college students. We used 2021-2022 survey data from the Healthy Minds Study, which included approximately 88,500 students at over 100 US colleges and universities. We conducted analyses using descriptive statistics and two-sample proportion tests. About 4% of respondents reported having a firearm on or around campus. Among firearm owners, 68.8% reported storing firearms at their permanent address within an hour's drive from campus, and 43.1% reported storing their firearms unloaded and locked. Firearm ownership rates were significantly higher for respondents who were positive for specific risk factors (i.e., in a relationship, suicide ideation, recent binge drinking, and having been physically assaulted) versus those who were negative. These findings support the need for targeted messaging and firearm safety training for college students to reduce firearm-related risks.

Socio-Cultural Settings and The Meaning of Gun Ownership and Presence: Comparing Pilot Samples from The United States and Israel

Civilian gun ownership is hotly debated in societies around the world, especially in the United States. This study added to the discussion by comparing samples from two countries representing opposite extremes in terms of civilian gun access policy: the US where the right of civilians to own guns is Constitution-based and Israel where civilian access to guns is extremely limited and strictly supervised. One hundred and two American and 142 Israeli citizens completed a series of online measures of exposure to guns, attitudes, meaning attributed to gun ownership, and gun culture. Significant differences were found on all measures. The Israeli sample reported higher endorsement of civilian gun ownership, and Israelis associated gun ownership and presence in the civilian space with enhanced security. Gun culture was predominantly self-defense in both samples, but the US sample also showed higher prevalence of other cultures, such as hunting and sport. Gender played a major role in the results in both samples, with women reporting lower endorsement of gun ownership by civilians and attributing more risk and chance of violence to the presence of guns in their environment. The results are discussed in the socio-political and cultural context.

Fatal Police Shootings of Victims with Mental Health Crises: A Descriptive Analysis of Data from the 2014-2015 National Violent Death Reporting System.

One in five fatal police shooting victims may have been experiencing a mental health crisis (MHC) at the time of their death [1]. We use data on fatal police shootings from the National Violent Death Reporting System (2014-2015) to (a) identify incidents where the victim is reported to have experienced an MHC at the time of their death, (b) describe the characteristics of these incidents, and (c) compare the characteristics of MHC to fatal police shootings where the victim was not experiencing an MHC at the time of their death. We systematically coded 633 fatal police shootings from 27 states. Descriptive statistics characterized fatal police shootings, including victim characteristics; their mental health status; and contextual information regarding the police encounter (e.g., reason for police call). Overall, 203 of 633 fatal police encounters (32%) involved victims who showed signs of an MHC at the time of their death. Victims were predominantly white, male, and in possession of a firearm. In 3 of 4 cases, the MHC manifested as suicidal ideation despite any relevant documented history among most victims. Among half of suicidal victims, suicidal ideation was expressed verbally and in-person to a family member/intimate partner who subsequently called the police. Dispatch was aware of the MHC in 1 of 4 of total police calls. Overall, fatal police encounters involving those experiencing an MHC accounted for 1 in 3 of our caseloads. Approximately, 3 of 4 mental health calls involved a suicidal person who mainly expressed intent to a loved one in-person.

Protocol for creating a dataset of U.S. state alcohol-related firearm laws 2000-2022.

Firearms are a major source of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States, contributing to over 48,000 deaths in 2022 and generating societal costs in excess of $500 billion. A body of work has examined the relationship between US state level firearm laws and health outcomes, generally finding that some firearm regulations are associated with lower firearm-related mortality. Alcohol has been identified as an additional risk factor for both homicides and suicide and stronger state alcohol laws have been associated with lower rates of suicide. To date, there are no empirical studies that have investigated the impact of laws over a long period of time that target the intersection of alcohol and firearm. One reason for this may be because there is no existing dataset that includes the range of these state laws over time. This study describes the protocol for collecting, coding and operationalizing these legal data.

Firearm screening and secure storage counseling among home visiting providers: a cross-sectional study of SafeCare® providers in the U.S.

Firearms used in pediatric firearm deaths are most often obtained from the child's home, making secure firearm storage initiatives imperative in prevention efforts. Evidence-based home visiting (EBHV) programs are implemented with over 277,000 families annually, providing an opportunity for secure firearm storage counseling. The purpose of this study was to assess EBHV providers' experiences with firearm screening ("assessment"), secure storage counseling, and their perceptions for related training needs. Providers in the U.S. from SafeCare®, an EBHV program often implemented with families experiencing increased risk of child neglect and physical or emotional abuse, were invited to participate in a survey to examine firearm assessment and attitudes toward and experiences with firearm safety counseling. Survey items were primarily Likert scale ratings to indicate level of agreement, with some open-ended follow-up questions. Descriptive statistics (i.e., frequencies and percentages) were used to report item-level agreement. A post hoc analysis was conducted using Spearman correlation to examine the association between assessment and counseling and provider-level factors. Sixty-three SafeCare providers consented to and completed the survey items. Almost three-quarters (74.6%) agreed/strongly agreed that they assess in-home firearm availability. However, 66.7% agreed/strongly agreed that they have not been adequately trained to discuss firearm safety topics. A substantial proportion (80.6%) indicated they would counsel more if materials and training on this topic were available. Response variability emerged by level of urbanicity. A post hoc analysis found that providers' self-reported frequency of assessment and counseling were associated with their comfort level discussing firearm safety and whether or not they had worked with families impacted by firearm injury. SafeCare providers report a need for materials and training on secure firearm storage, and a willingness to provide more counseling with proper training to the families they serve. Findings illuminate the need for secure storage initiatives for EBHV programs, which have broad service reach to a substantial number of at-risk U.S. families annually.

The combined effects of consumer-company stance congruence and consumers’ pre-existing corporate attitude in corporate social advocacy

Publics’ reactions to corporate social advocacy (CSA) initiatives can be influenced not only by their agreement with companies’ issue stances but also by their pre-existing perceptions of the companies involved. With the purpose of providing a more comprehensive understanding of CSA outcomes, this study draws on social identity theory and examines how consumer-company stance congruence in CSA interacts with consumer publics’ pre-existing corporate attitude to influence their boycott and buycott intentions. Using real companies, two experiments were conducted with CSA on two socio-political issues: abortion laws (N = 258) and gun laws (N = 257). The results from Experiment 2 showed a buffering effect of positive pre-existing corporate attitude on publics’ boycott intentions, when they have incongruent issue stances with companies. In Experiment 1, publics’ perceived like-minded opinions opposing CSA were also found to boost their boycott intention. This study adds a nuanced understanding of the triadic consumer-issue-company dynamics in CSA from the social identity and public opinion perspectives, providing useful guidelines for CSA practices.

Increasing the Acceptability of Lethal Means Safety Counseling for Firearms: Tips and Scripts.

In lethal means safety counseling (LMSC), clinicians encourage patients to limit their access to common and lethal means of suicide, especially firearms. However, previous studies have shown that clinicians may hesitate to deliver this evidence-based intervention, in part because of concerns that patients might not find such discussions acceptable. Based on a published review of 18 qualitative studies examining diverse perspectives on LMSC, we discuss strategies that may help clinicians increase the acceptability of LMSC among their patients and present supporting scripts, rationales, and resources. The studies included in the review examined the perspectives of clinicians, patients, firearm owners, and other relevant groups across a wide range of clinical settings on LMSC for firearms. The authors of these studies recommend that clinicians approach LMSC in a nonjudgmental manner with awareness of their own biases, demonstrate cultural competency by acknowledging the role of firearms in patients' lives, and adapt LMSC to patients' previous experiences with firearms, safety, and injury. Clinicians may also want to contextualize and provide a rationale for LMSC, decide whether or not to directly ask about access to firearms, and recommend a range of storage options tailored to the patient. Free locking devices or discount coupons for purchasing such devices may increase the acceptability and efficacy of these discussions. The strategies recommended in this paper are the first to be based on a comprehensive set of relevant studies. Future research is needed to examine whether these strategies do in fact increase the acceptability of LMSC and promote other outcomes such as increased feasibility and efficacy.

My rights, their rights, our rights: a response to Laura Beth Nielsen on relational rights, gun politics and the struggle over community

My rights, their rights, our rights: a response to Laura Beth Nielsen on relational rights, gun politics and the struggle over community

Tactical bases of fire training of cadets and students of educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

The object of the research of the scientific article is the tactical basics of handling firearms during fire training. The subject of the study is the methods that develop the tactical basics of firearm ownership in the training of fire training. The aim of the study is to identify the most effective methods for conducting fire training classes aimed at developing tactical skills in handling firearms. Research objective is to determine the most effective and accessible methods in the process of handling firearms. The practical significance of the conducted research is to identify the most effective methods for training fire training, necessary for practical application. At the same time, attention is paid to strict compliance with safety measures when handling both training and combat weapons. The methodology of the conducted research is determined by its purpose and objectives. It is based on a systematic approach to the study of methods of training police officers in the practical use of firearms. The novelty of the scientific article lies in the development of author's methods in the study and testing of tactical actions of cadets and students of educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the handling of firearms during practical training. The training exercises were practically tested during the training of cadets and trainees at the initial stage of the practical part of fire training, during the development of tactical skills, it was carried out both idling and during combat shooting from small arms. The development of tactical actions with firearms allowed the trainees to form confident practical skills in handling firearms, which in turn affected the increase in the level of general discipline and the readiness of employees to act in practice.