Access To Guns Research Articles

The Role of Firearm and Police Violence Exposure in Youth Firearm Beliefs and Access

Rates of youth firearm exposure and carriage are well-established, but less work has examined how exposure to police violence and firearm violence, as victim or witness, may be associated with beliefs in gun ownership for society or access to guns. This study used survey data from a multiracial sample of 276 youth living in New Orleans, Louisiana ( M age = 17.76) to examine these associations. Results from binary logistic regressions confirmed a significant association between higher belief in gun ownership for safety and all violence exposures, directly and indirectly. We did not find support for an association between gun access and any violence exposures. The findings shed light on pathways to firearm violence risk and provide critical information on youth firearm attitudes.

Faculty Behaviors and Beliefs About Teaching Gun Violence Prevention in Undergraduate Nursing Programs.

Gun violence is a public health crisis, but nurses report receiving little education related to gun violence prevention (GVP). This study aimed to describe undergraduate nursing faculty teaching behaviors and perceptions related to GVP and explore factors associated with teaching it. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Less than one-third of faculty taught GVP. Knowledge, confidence, and beliefs were significantly associated with teaching GVP. Most were favorable to include GVP in curricula and agreed assessing for gun access, counseling about safe gun storage, and counseling about lethal means restriction should be taught. Key barriers included content saturation, political atmosphere, lack of educational materials, and lack of topic expertise. Faculty agree that GVP should be taught, but most do not teach it in undergraduate nursing programs. Faculty development programs focused on GVP and support from national nursing organizations may decrease barriers in incorporating GVP into curricula.

Neighborhood disorder as a predictor of perceptions of firearm access: Examining peers effects

ObjectiveThis study sought to examine the relationship between neighborhood disorder and perceptions of gun access. Further, this study focused on determining whether or not antisocial peer affiliation mediates this relationship. MethodsThe Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. This is an 11-wave longitudinal study following 1,354 justice-involved youth across seven years post-adjudication. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect relationships of interest. ResultsGreater levels of neighborhood disorder were associated with increased perceptions of access to guns in the community. Affiliation with antisocial peers significantly mediated this relationship, accounting for about 15 % of this relationship. ConclusionsAffiliation with antisocial peers may be greater in disordered neighborhoods and they may facilitate access to guns for adolescents living in such communities. Mentoring programs for adolescents living in disordered communities may have some capacity for attenuating this relationship.

The Dark Side of Safety: A Call for a More Thorough Consideration of Racism and Collective Power Motivations in the Social Psychology of Firearms.

This paper situates current social psychological research on the symbolic use of firearms (e.g., as a source of personal safety) in broader historical context to motivate a more thorough consideration of collective power motives. Historically, firearms have been used to dominate racial outgroup members (e.g., White Americans use of firearms and firearm laws to dispossess indigenous people of land or control free and enslaved Black people) or, at times, attempt to resist group-based oppression (e.g., Black Americans use of firearms to struggle against White Jim Crow terrorism). Given most gun owners report self-protection as their primary reason for firearm ownership and yet anti-Black attitudes are still a consistently important predictor of firearm ownership among dominant group members (e.g., White Americans), this paper examines how guns may function as a perceived source of personal safety and collective power. I center the persistent role of White supremacy and anti-Blackness in original U.S. firearm psychology and policy to illuminate the interrelatedness of personal safety and collective power perceptions, and how perceived threats to in-group power may motivate the use of guns and policies that selectively regulate gun access to mitigate associated safety concerns. Seeking to nudge social psychology to more thoroughly examine firearms' potential function as a symbolic source of collective power, I end by discussing how considering collective power can help us better understand how historically dominant and historically marginalized groups view firearms today while also illuminating some barriers to the pursuit of gun safety for all.

Passion for guns and beliefs in a dangerous world: An examination of defensive gun ownership.

This research examines the notion of defensive gun ownership using the Dualistic Model of Passion. We hypothesized that an obsessive (vs. harmonious) passion for guns would be associated with a belief in a dangerous world (BDW). We expected this relationship to intensify in threatening contexts, leading to a more expansive view on defensive gun ownership. We tested this hypothesis across three threat contexts: a gun-control message (Study 1, N = 342), a live shooting simulation (Study 2, N = 398), and the aftermath of the Christchurch mass shootings (Study 3, N = 314). In the experimental Study 1, exposure to a gun-control message increased the intention to purchase guns among those with an obsessive passion (OP) for guns. Study 2 revealed that BDW mediated the relationship between OP and assertive modes of protection, the desire to purchase high-stopping-power guns, and anti-Black racial bias in a shooting task. Study 3 showed that knowledge of the Christchurch attack intensified the link between OP and BDW, leading to increased support for gun access, a willingness to act as a citizen-protector, and prejudice against Muslims. Comprehending these dynamics can assist policymakers in crafting messaging campaigns for firearm regulation and public safety measures that are more effective.

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.

Racial inequities in homicide rates and homicide methods among Black and White women aged 25–44 years in the USA, 1999–2020: a cross-sectional time series study

In the USA, Black women aged 25-44 years are disproportionately murdered compared with their White counterparts. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce racial and structural inequities, the result of these efforts remains unclear, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined a cross-sectional time series of homicide death rates, by race, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research system. We included data for women aged 25-44 years between 1999 and 2020 among 30 states in the USA. Homicide death was classified using underlying cause and multiple cause of death codes; mortality rates were calculated per 100 000 based on US Census Bureau population sizes. Homicide methods were classified as firearm, cutting or piercing, and other. Firearm homicides were compared with other homicides with logistic regression including covariates of race, time, and their interaction. We report odds ratios and 95% CIs. In 2020, the homicide rate among Black women was 11·6 per 100 000, compared with 3 per 100 000 among White women. This inequity has persisted over time and is virtually unchanged since 1999. Homicide inequities vary across US states; in 11 states, racial inequities have increased since 1999. The racial inequity was greatest in Wisconsin, where in 2019-20, Black women aged 25-44 years were 20 times more likely to die by homicide than White women. Homicide by firearm is increasing in frequency; women in the USA had 2·44 (95% CI 2·14-2·78) times the odds of homicide involving firearms in 2019-20 compared with 1999-2003. Firearm homicide deaths are disproportionately concentrated among Black women in every region in the USA. Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need to address homicide inequities among Black and White women in the USA. Enacting federal legislation that reduces gun access is a crucial step. Policy makers must address long-standing structural factors that underpin elevated gun violence by implementing sustainable wealth-building opportunities; developing desegregated, mixed income and affordable housing; and increasing green spaces in communities where Black women largely reside. National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

Mental Illness, Gun Access and Carrying: A Test of Competing Hypotheses.

Access to firearms among individuals with mental health problems has been a source of protracted debate among policymakers, the media, and the public, writ large. At the center of this controversy are questions about the nature and consequences of gun access in the context of mental illness. The lack of substantial empirical evidence, due in part to limited access to quality data, plays a significant role in perpetuating ongoing debate. To address this problem, this study uses data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication to evaluate the relative importance of several clinical, cultural, and criminological factors in explaining gun access and carrying among adults with and without mental illnesses. Multivariate analyses reveal that, whereas past year disorder (of any type or severity) and other clinical characteristics were unrelated to firearm access, several cultural factors such as childhood rurality (e.g., ORrural vs. urban: 3.59; 95% CI: 2.52, 5.12) and the criminological experience of early intimate partner violence (e.g., ORvictim only vs. noexp: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.50, 2.26) were. None were predictive of carrying. Further, none of the relationships observed were conditioned on any of the clinical characteristics. These results indicate that people with mental illnesses likely own and carry guns for the same reasons and in the same contexts as others. Additional updated and quality data is needed to further explore these issues; however, these finding suggest that suicide and violence prevention efforts targeting people with mental illnesses need to be sensitive to the cultural and personal significance of guns.

Firearms and post-separation abuse: Providing context behind the data on firearms and intimate partner violence.

The aim of this study is to provide insight from maternal survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) describing their experiences with their ex-partners' firearm ownership, access, storage and behaviours in the context of co-parenting and separation. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study informed by the IPV and Coparenting Model. The analytic sample consists of self-identified maternal survivors (n = 14) who completed semi-structured qualitative interviews between January and May 2023 describing experiences of post-separation abuse. Participants were recruited through social media and domestic violence advocacy and legal aid organizations. In the interview guide, participants were asked one item about firearm exposure: Have you or your children had any experiences with guns and your ex-partner that made you or your children feel scared? Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Interview transcripts were managed and coded in ATLAS.ti using a codebook. Codes were applied using descriptive content analysis, discrepancies reconciled and themes related to firearm exposure in the context of post-separation abuse identified. Six themes emerged related to firearm experiences and post-separation abuse: (1) gun ownership (2) gun access; (3) unsafe storage; (4) direct and symbolic threats; (5) involving the children; (6) survivors' protective actions. This manuscript provides context on how abusive ex-partners' firearm ownership, access and threats cause terror and pervasive fear for mothers and children following separation. Analysis of qualitative data provides important insights into opportunities to address firearm injury prevention. Findings add to the contextual understanding of how survivors of IPV experience non-fatal firearm abuse. Existing quantitative data may not capture the full extent of fear caused by perpetrators' gun ownership access and symbolic threats. Data from this study can help inform firearm injury prevention efforts. The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the individuals who helped in cognitive testing of the interview guide prior to conducting interviews with participants, including (3) survivors of post-separation abuse. The authors would also like to acknowledge domestic violence advocates and those individuals who helped with recruitment and connected us with participants. Importantly, with deep gratitude, the authors would like to thank the participants who generously shared their time and stories with us.

Violent Experiences and Patterns of Firearm Ownership From Childhood to Young Adulthood

Young adults in their 20s are at high relative risk for self- and other-directed firearm injury, but little is known about gun access patterns for this group. To describe the longitudinal patterns of firearm access from childhood to young adulthood and to estimate whether violence experienced as a child or as an adult is associated with gun ownership in young adulthood. The Great Smoky Mountains Study included participants from 11 contiguous, mostly rural counties in the Southeastern US. The first wave was completed in 1993 and the most recent in 2019. Periodic survey data were gathered in adolescence through participants' late 20s. In 2023, adjusted Poisson regression with incident rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% CIs were used to estimate associations between violence and gun ownership in young adulthood in 3 age cohorts from the original sample. Violent experiences in childhood (bullying, sexual and physical abuse, violent events, witnessing trauma, physical violence between parents, and school/neighborhood dangerousness) or adulthood (physical and sexual assault). Initiating gun ownership was defined as no gun access or ownership in childhood followed by gun ownership at age 25 or 30 years. Maintaining gun ownership was defined as reporting gun access or ownership in at least 1 survey in childhood and ownership at age 25 or 30 years. Among 1260 participants (679 [54%] male; ages 9, 11, and 13 years), gun access or ownership was more common in childhood (women: 366 [63%]; men: 517 [76%]) than in adulthood (women: 207 [36%]; men: 370 [54%]). The most common longitudinal pattern was consistent access or ownership from childhood to adulthood (373 [35%]) followed by having access or ownership in childhood only (408 [32%]). Most of the violent exposures evaluated were not significantly associated with the outcomes. Being bullied at school was common and was associated with reduced ownership initiation (IRR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61-0.94). Witnessing a violent event was significantly associated with increased probability of becoming a gun owner in adulthood (IRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.49). In this cohort study, gun ownership and access were transitory, even in a geographic area where gun culture is strong. Early adulthood-when the prevalence of gun ownership was relatively low-may represent an opportune time for clinicians and communities to provide education on the risks associated with firearm access, as well as strategies for risk mitigation.

Youth Access to Stolen Handguns

Youth with access to illicit handguns have an enhanced proclivity to engage in armed criminal violence and self-harm. While theft has been identified as a pathway for youth to gain access to handguns, little is known about whether and to what extent stolen guns represent a viable channel toward putting youth and others at risk. To evaluate this, several data sources and methods are used to evaluate whether handgun thefts occurring within proximity to a school predict self-reported ease of handgun acquisition among young people. Multilevel results fail to show any relationship between the availability of stolen handguns, measured in three different ways, and middle and high school youths’ self-reported access to handguns. Microlevel characteristics are predictive of gun access among youth.

Teen firearm access during COVID: a repeated cross-sectional analysis of Pennsylvania families

PurposeThis study aims to investigate patterns in adolescent gun access and household gun storage in 2021 and 2022.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two cross-sectional surveys of Pennsylvania parents with a teenage child at home.FindingsThe results indicated that about 20% of gun owners in each survey stored their guns loaded; a similar percentage stored their guns unlocked. Very few gun owners reported that their children could access their guns without adult supervision. This study found no change in gun storage practices between 2021 and 2022, but higher rates of gun ownership in 2022. The factors associated with gun storage behaviors did change between the two time points. COVID-related uncertainties and transitions in the household were linked to gun ownership and less safe storage practices in 2021, but not in 2022.Originality/valueThis study identified factors associated with teen gun access at distinct points during the pandemic. This study found little evidence of any association between child mental health and household firearm storage.

Always at the Ready: Fears, Threats, and Unsafe Gun Storage in Households With Children.

Guns are present in many households in the U.S., including those with children. Safe storage of guns at home can mitigate the increased risks of both the unintentional and intentional injury that in-home gun access presents; yet estimates suggest fewer than half of gun owners store their weapon(s) safely. Unsafe storage in homes with children is especially problematic given that gun-owning parents make incorrect assumptions about both children's awareness of firearm storage locations, and their actions upon encountering an unsecured gun. There is limited identification and understanding of why some parents do not engage in safe storage practices. Using 2019 survey data from an internet-based sample of gun-owning adults with children at home, this study explores various potential correlates of unsafe storage. Findings suggest that unsafe storage occurs not in response to crime/victimization fears, but from broader, group- and status-based threats. Understanding the complex factors preventing gun-owning parents from implementing safe storage practices has important implications for both victimization scholarship and public health/injury prevention efforts.

Development and Implementation of a Novel Case-Based Gun Violence Prevention Training Program for First-Year Residents.

Gun violence results in approximately 40,000 deaths in the United States each year, yet physicians rarely discuss gun access and firearm safety with patients. Lack of education about how to have these conversations is an important barrier, particularly among trainees. A 2-part training curriculum was developed for first-year residents. It included (1) a didactic presentation outlining a framework to understand types of firearm-related violence, describing institutional resources, and reviewing strategies for approaching discussions about firearms with patients, and (2) interactive case scenarios, adjusted for clinical disciplines, with standardized patients. Before and after the training, participants completed surveys on the training's relevance, efficacy, and benefit. Standardized patients provided real-time feedback to participants and completed assessments based on prespecified learning objectives. In June-August 2019, 148 first-year residents in internal medicine (n = 74), general surgery (n = 12), emergency medicine (n = 15), pediatrics (n = 22), psychiatry (n = 16), and OB/GYN (n = 9) completed the training. Most (70%, n = 104) reported having no prior exposure to gun violence prevention education. Knowledge about available resources increased among participants from 3% (n = 5) pretraining to 97% (n = 143) post-training. Awareness about relevant laws, such as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and their appropriate use increased from 3% (n = 4) pretraining to 98% (n = 145) post-training. Comfort discussing access to guns and gun safety with patients increased from a median of 5 pretraining to 8 post-training (on a scale of 1-10, with higher scores indicating more comfort). Delivery of a case-based gun violence prevention training program was effective and feasible in a single institution. Next steps include expanding the training to other learners (across undergraduate and graduate medical education) and institutions and assessing how the program changes practice over time.

Whiteness and Impunity: Examining Virginia's Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement

How do people who consider themselves law abiding mobilize against “offensive” laws? Stated differently, how do people assert impunity? Although sociologists robustly document the unequal administration of American law, most focus on the production and legitimation of racial disparities through punishment rather thanimpunity. We use theories of Whiteness to analyze Virginia’s Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions, illuminating how impunity is reproduced as a White prerogative, to engage sociological debates surrounding race and the legal system. These resolutions draw on an ideology of rights centered on the sanctification of the Constitution to buttress their standing and affirm gun‐owning Americans as enactors/defenders of social order by decrying state efforts to restrict gun access. Our analysis suggests that Second Amendment sanctuary supporters assert a relation of impunity between themselves and the law by reflecting and reproducing White habitus and by reconstructing the rule of law through reliance on exclusionary tropes involving American values, tradition, and Constitutionality. Our analysis reveals that resolution supporters routinely asserted Second Amendment sanctuaries as White sanctuaries, tying Whiteness to gun rights and shaping how social structures (including laws) are organized.

The role of gun supply in 1980s and 1990s youth violence

AbstractYouth violence surged between 1985 and 1994. We argue that a positive supply shock in autoloading handguns played an important role. By the late 1970s, computer numeric control technology had fallen in cost and the number of installed machines increased by 690% from 1978 to 1988. Consumer durable prices fell throughout this period, including the easily machined autoloading handguns. We document a steep fall in handgun prices, leading to predictable changes in purchasing among all American demographics. Local proxies of gun access predict changes in violence over this period as well or better than measures of crack market activity.

Формирование отношения к массовым расстрелам гражданского населения в новостных средствах массовой информации: доступность оружия, психические нарушения, насилие для развлечения, терроризм

Objective: to study the attitude of the US citizens towards mass shootings by studying the materials published in the news media.Methods: dialectical approach to cognition of social phenomena, allowing to analyze them in historical development and functioning in the context of the totality of objective and subjective factors, which predetermined the following research methods: formal-logical, comparative-legal, and sociological.Results: The present study uses a media distortion analysis to examine the news media’s coverage of mass shootings in America between 2000 and 2016. The author analyzes for frames used in the coverage of these events in New York Times, namely, gun access, mental illness, violent entertainment, and terrorism. It is shown how these four frames are used to present the materials on the mass shootings, how they changed over time, how the mass shooting characteristics influence the choice of each of the four frames, and how news media may distort the conception of the phenomenon under study. Scientific novelty: findings illustrate gun access frames were the most commonly used of the four frames and increased the most over time. Mental illness frames were slightly more common than terrorism frames, although terrorism frames increased more over time. Violent entertainment frames were the least common overall. The most significant predictors of the four frames, across three comparative analyses, include Arab-descent perpetrators (terrorism), jihadist-inspired motivations (terrorism), mental illness (mental illness), school targets (gun access, mental illness, violent entertainment), and government targets (gun access, terrorism). A discussion of findings identifies news media distortions in mass shooting framing and provides implications for scholars, media outlets, and the public.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in scientific, pedagogical and law enforcement activities when considering the issues related to the forming of attitude to mass shootings in mass media.

Childhood Gun Access, Adult Suicidality, and Crime.

To test the associations of childhood domestic gun access with adult criminality and suicidality. Analyses were based on a 20+ year prospective, community-representative study of 1420 children, who were assessed up to 8 times during childhood (ages 9-16; 6674 observations) about access to guns in their home. Participants were then followed-up 4 additional times in adulthood (ages 19, 21, 25, and 30; 4556 observations of 1336 participants) about criminality and suicidality. During childhood, the 3-month prevalence of having a gun in the home was 55.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.1%-58.7%). Of the children in homes with guns, 63.3% (95% CI: 59.7%-66.9%) had access to a gun, and 25.0% (95% CI: 21.2%-28.8%) owned a gun themselves. Having gun access as a child was associated with higher levels of adult criminality (odds ratios = 1.1-3.5) and suicidality (odds ratios = 2.9-4.4), even after adjusting for childhood correlates of gun access. Risk of adult criminality and suicidality among those with childhood gun access was greatest in male individuals, those living in urban areas, and children with a history of behavior problems. Even in these groups, however, most children did not display adult criminality or suicidality. Childhood gun access is prospectively associated with later adult criminality and suicidality in specific groups of children.

This Is Very Much Our Lane: Childhood Firearm Exposure and Adult Outcomes.

The recent spate of mass shootings across the United States has led the president to declare gun violence a public health epidemic.1 Among adolescents and young adults, suicide and homicide are the second- and third-leading causes of death, with approximately half of suicides and nearly 90% of homicides in this age group related to firearms.2–4 In this issue of Pediatrics , Copeland et al5 present the first published prospective study in which the impact of childhood firearm exposure on adult outcomes is examined. This study can be used to inform interventions at the pediatric practice and public policy level. Copeland et al5 test associations of childhood domestic gun access with subsequent adult criminality and suicidality. In this ≥20-year prospective, community-representative study conducted in North Carolina, researchers repeatedly measured household firearm exposure for children. These youth were managed into adulthood with multiple periodic assessments for suicidality and criminality. The proportion of … Address correspondence to Asad Bandealy, MD, MPH, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Children’s National Hospital, 3336 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009. E-mail: abandeal{at}childrensnational.org

Characteristics and Precipitating Circumstances of Suicide Among Children Aged 5 to 11 Years in the United States, 2013-2017

Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among children aged 5 to 11 years, with rates increasing during the past decade. A better understanding of factors associated with childhood suicide can inform developmentally appropriate prevention strategies. To examine characteristics and precipitating circumstances of childhood suicide. This qualitative study examined restricted-use data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) regarding child suicide decedents aged 5 to 11 years in the US from 2013 to 2017. The NVDRS is a state-based surveillance system that collects data on suicide and violent deaths in 50 states, with restricted-use data available from 37 states. Details and context related to suicide deaths were identified through a content analysis of case narratives from coroner or medical examiner and law enforcement reports associated with each incident. Characteristics and precipitating circumstances associated with suicide cited in the coroner, medical examiner, and law enforcement case narratives. Suicide incidence and risk factors for suicide including mental health, prior suicidal behavior, trauma, and peer, school, or family-related problems. Analyses included 134 child decedents (101 [75.4%] males; 79 [59.0%] White individuals; 109 [81.3%] non-Hispanic individuals; mean [SD] age, 10.6 [0.8] years). Most suicides occurred in the child's home (95.5% [n = 128]), and more specifically in the child's bedroom. Suicide by hanging or suffocation (78.4% [n = 105]) was the most frequent method, followed by firearms (18.7% [n = 25]). Details on gun access were noted in 88.0% (n = 22) of suicides by firearm, and in every case, the child obtained a firearm stored unsafely in the home. Findings revealed childhood suicide was associated with numerous risk factors accumulated over time, and suggest a progression toward suicidal behavior, especially for youth with a history of psychopathology and suicidal behavior. An argument between the child and a family member and/or disciplinary action was often a precipitating circumstance of the suicide. This qualitative study found that childhood suicide was associated with multiple risk factors and commonly preceded by a negative precipitating event. Potential prevention strategies include improvements in suicide risk assessment, family relations, and lethal means restriction, particularly safe firearm storage. Future research examining the myriad aspects of childhood suicide, including racial/ethnic and sex differences, is needed.