Gun Violence Research Articles

A PROFILE OF FIREARM RELATED AUTOPSY CASES AT BAHAWALPUR – A CITY OF SOUTHERN PUNJAB

Introduction: Firearm-related deaths are a major forensic and public health concern, particularly in regions with high gun violence. Understanding demographics, weapon types, and injury patterns is essential for prevention and policy-making. Objective: To analyze the demographic distribution, firearm types, and injury patterns in firearm-related deaths. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College (QAMC), Bahawalpur, covering a period of two years. Forty-seven cases, all firearm-related deaths, were examined postmortem. Selection was based on police records (FIRs) confirming firearm involvement. Cases with mutilated, putrefied bodies or ambiguous causative weapons were excluded. Data were collected through structured proforma and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: A total number of 47 cases were evaluated. Males were the predominant gender (66%), and an urban population (70.2%) with rifled firearm proclivity (78.7%) was observed. Fatal injury to the head and neck (40.4%) was the most common site of body injury. Conclusion: Firearm-related fatalities in Bahawalpur predominantly involve young males in urban areas, with head and neck injuries being the most frequent. Strengthening firearm regulations, enhancing forensic investigations, and improving emergency trauma care are crucial to reducing these deaths. A coordinated effort between law enforcement, forensic experts, and healthcare professionals is necessary to mitigate firearm-related mortality.

Effects of implementing permissive campus carry laws on rates of major violence at public colleges and universities

BackgroundFollowing the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, which ruled a New York concealed-carry permitting requirement unconstitutional, laws restricting the public carrying of firearms in “sensitive places,” like college campuses, have received increasing attention. However, there is little evidence for whether permissive campus carry policies increase firearm violence or, via deterrence, reduce general crime on campus. We estimated the effect of implementing state laws allowing the carry of firearms on public college and university campuses on rates of violent crime and burglary.MethodsArkansas, Georgia, and Texas, containing 106 public institutions, implemented permissive campus carry laws in 2017, 2017, and 2016, respectively. Control institutions were all those in states that did not allow the carry of firearms on college campuses for the entire study period (2006–2019) (n = 324 institutions, 21 states). The rates of major violence and burglary per 1,000 enrolled students was obtained from the Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Statistics website. We use two-way fixed effects difference-in-differences models to estimate state-specific effects and a modified difference-in-differences approach that accounts for variation in treatment timing to generate an overall estimate.ResultsDifferences in rates of major violence and burglary were not statistically distinguishable from zero in our main models and sensitivity analyses. The overall estimated difference in the rate of major violence following policy implementation was − 0.01 (− 0.113, 0.093). For burglary, we estimated a difference of − 0.02 (− 0.147, 0.106). Violence rates trended upward in treated states in the last exposure period, but differences were not consistently distinguished from the null.ConclusionsThis study does not find significant changes in crime rates following state implementation of permissive campus carrying laws. Decision-makers might therefore consider other factors such as the opinions of students, faculty, and staff regarding campus carry policies and feelings of safety, potential impacts on instructional quality and student engagement, and potential impacts on accidental or self-directed harm.

Gun Violence, Physician Leadership, and a Public Health Perspective with Dr. Megan Ranney

In this compelling episode of SoundPractice, host Mike Sacopulos engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Megan Ranney, MD, MPH, FACEP, dean of the Yale School of Public Health and a distinguished professor of emergency medicine. Ranney, a renowned expert on gun violence, delves into the intricate intersection of healthcare, public health, and gun violence in the United States. She shares her unique career journey from a Peace Corps volunteer to an emergency medicine physician and public health leader. The discussion highlights the profound individual and public health consequences of gun violence, emphasizing the necessity of a public health approach to this pervasive issue. This episode offers valuable insights and actionable strategies for physician leaders and healthcare professionals committed to addressing gun violence and improving public health outcomes.

Psychopathy, gun carrying, and firearm violence.

Psychopathy, gun carrying, and firearm violence.

Community gun violence prevention.

Community gun violence prevention.

From past to present: A comparison of interpersonal firearm violence between historically graded neighborhoods of Kansas City.

Interpersonal firearm violence (IFV) has been connected to the structural racism of redlining. We explored the relationship between historic redlining and IFV with population-level factors. A cross-sectional study of IFV within historically graded neighborhoods was performed, and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) between these neighborhoods and the rate of IFV were modeled with a Poisson regression model. Comparing redlined to non-redlined neighborhoods, the IRRs adjusted for income was 14.9 (p​<​0.0001), adjusted for poverty was 14.4 (p​<​0.0001), adjusted for uninsured was 15.6 (p​<​0.0001), and adjusted for IFV-related mortality was 26.05 (p​<​0.0001). After county adjustment, every one unit increase in logarithm of income decreases the IFV rate by 64.7​% (p​<​0.0001), whereas every one percent increase of poverty and uninsured, increases the IFV rates by 4.1​% (p​<​0.0001) and 3.05​% (p​<​0.0002), respectively. Historically redlined communities have higher rates of IFV in Kansas City, Kansas.

Preparing future physicians for the gun violence crisis: development of a firearm safety curriculum for medical students during the surgery clerkship

PurposeFirearm injuries are a major public health crisis; however, providers are not routinely educated on how to discuss this topic with their patients. To address this gap, a firearm safety curriculum was developed for medical students during their surgery clerkship. Perceptions, knowledge, and preparedness for counseling patients was evaluated before and after dissemination.MethodsAll second-year medical students enrolled in the surgery core clerkship from March 2023 to March 2024 were included. The curriculum consists of a 30-min didactic presentation discussing gun violence with techniques to identify and counsel at-risk patients followed by a 30-min, interactive case-based discussion where students simulate counseling strategies. Pre- and post-session surveys included a 5-point Likert scale to evaluate efficacy of the curriculum. Paired student’s t test was conducted to compare pre- and post-survey responses.ResultsOf the 249 students, 54.6% % were female, 50.9% were White, and mean age was 25 ± 2 years. While 91.9% of students responded that they had never owned a gun, 37.8% had lived in a home where a gun was present, and 48.2% had fired a gun before. Only 24.7% of students had previously taken a gun-safety course, and 15.4% received training on counseling patients on firearm safety. One hundred thirty three students completed both pre- and post-session surveys for analysis. After the course, students had higher agreement on the importance of physician’s roles and responsibilities in patient education on firearm safety, and students felt more prepared to counsel patients. Knowledge of patient risk factors for firearm injury increased significantly from students being able to identify 1.4 ± 1.1 risk factors correctly on pre-test to identifying 2.6 ± 1.6 risk factors correctly on post-test (t(64) = − 5.6, p < 0.01).ConclusionThe firearm safety curriculum is a simple and effective tool that augments students’ knowledge and understanding of gun violence, as well as prepares them to counsel patients on firearm safety. This curriculum can be widely implemented as an important intervention to equip future physicians with the necessary tools to help address the firearm crisis in the United States.

Brothers in Grief: The Hidden Toll of Gun Violence on Black Boys and Their Schools

Brothers in Grief: The Hidden Toll of Gun Violence on Black Boys and Their Schools

The constructions of anti-Black anxiety: Operation Trident's “as if” fictionalisms

The Metropolitan Police's Operation Trident (1998–2012) was a key example of how Black criminalization was accentuated through the inferential narratives of the media. However, Operation Trident's independent use of the media would see them exhibit a varied practice of community policing as part of its broader preventative measures that would use a variety of visual mediums in its cross-media campaign strategy specifically aimed at London's Black urban communities as an intervention into what was perceived as the natural allure of gun violence within the city's Black symbolic locations. This article considers the modes through which Operation Trident attempted to structure public opinion. In conducting an underexamined analysis of Operation Trident, I apply the Neo-Kantianism of Vailhinger's “as if” philosophy to consider the means through which the Metropolitan Police's anti-Black gun crime initiative instituted anxiety as a Black criminological visual culture, and in doing so, secured its legitimacy.

Dealing with guns: investigating the spatial attraction of gun dealers on localized gun violence

Abstract Objectives Test the spatial relationship between the locations of federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) and gun violence using shuttered FFLs as a counterfactual. Methods Using a quasi-experimental design, we evaluate the proximity of gun violence to (a) dealers and (b) the spatial footprints of former dealers. The locations of violence incidents between 2019 and 2021 in Los Angeles, CA, Dallas, TX, and Philadelphia, PA are analyzed against dealer locations using street Network Cross K methods. Results There is a robust attractive effect of dealers on gun violence within 3000 feet in two of the three cities, largely driven by the effect of dealers on violence in disadvantaged areas. The locations of former gun dealers did not uniformly fail to attract gun violence, however, as would be expected if FFLs were causally associated with the distribution of gun violence in cities. Conclusions The findings on the spatial attraction of gun violence to the locations of former gun dealers are heterogeneous across sites, leading to mixed support for a causal spatial association between gun dealers and gun violence. Limitations of using former dealers as the counterfactual include defining former dealers and the small numbers of former dealers in cities.

Exploring Approaches to Mental Health Treatment and the Critical Role of Partnerships Among Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs

ABSTRACT Federal initiatives have invested considerable resources to end gun violence. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are shown to reduce violent injury recidivism and address social needs of trauma-exposed clients. Mental health is a significant need among HVIP clients, yet little research on mental health and HVIPs exists. This community-initiated study utilized a triangulation-convergence mixed-methods design. HVIP programs were recruited for survey development aiming to explore aspects of mental health relevant for populations served by HVIPs, standards of care for mental health care among HVIPs, and the function and utility of community partners. Quantitative surveys (n = 16) of Health Alliance of Violence Intervention (HAVI) members and qualitative interviews (n = 4) were conducted with a sample of HAVI Mental Health Working Group members. Using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, findings highlight the leading mental health needs of HVIP clients, inform best practices for multidisciplinary HVIP teams to effectively meet mental health needs, including the necessity of strong community partnerships, and address the critical intersection of mental health and social determinants of health.

Frequency and Predictors of Adolescent Worry for School Gun Violence In the United States: Findings from a Nationally Representative Study.

While school gun violence (SGV) incidents in the United States (U.S.) have risen sharply over the past decade, limited research has examined adolescent worries about SGV. We examined the frequency and correlates of SGV worry in a U.S. nationally representative sample of adolescents. Data were from adolescent participants (14-17 years; N = 1017) in the 2022 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, a nationally representative study of sexual health experiences of people in the U.S. SGV worry was a single 5-point item (not at all worried - extremely worried). We used both weighted descriptive statistics to examine SGV frequency and random intercept mixed effects ordinal regression to examine demographic and background impact on SGV worry. Nearly 75% of adolescents reported some degree of SGV worry; of these, one in five were very or extremely worried. SGV worry was significantly higher for adolescents in younger grades and among racial/ethnic minority youth, as well as for cisgender female and gender minority teens. Adolescents in higher income homes were less worried about SGV. Both teens living in metropolitan locations and teens who reported higher anxiety in the past two weeks noted higher SGV worry. U.S. adolescents have a substantial level of worry about school gun violence. Structural interventions are needed to reduce SGV itself. Moreover, because there are detrimental long-term impacts of prolonged worry, targeted interventions are important for reaching those who are at greatest worry risk, including lower income, race/ethnic minority and gender minority teens. Three out of every four adolescents in the United States worry about being a victim of school gun violence. Structural interventions to both reduce SGV itself and to reach adolescents at greatest risk for SGV worry are warranted.

Firearm injury: pushing forward.

Recognition of firearm injury as a public health challenge increasingly garners mainstream acceptance, accompanied by increased federal funding for firearm research and federal coordination for firearm injury prevention and response. This review summarizes recent developments relevant to firearm injury epidemiology, prevention, and outcomes. Interpersonal firearm violence reached a 30-year peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the last 2 years have indicated some improvement. Here, we offer updates regarding firearm injury epidemiology, including disparities according to race, ethnicity, age, sex, and geography. This review summarizes recent literature on risk and protective factors for firearm injury, including aspects related to existing or emerging public policy. New data on the long-term costs and outcomes of firearm injury show pervasive effects, while studies on violence intervention programming, mental health interventions, and coordinated care for survivors of injury offer the potential to improve patient recovery. Lastly, enhanced firearm data infrastructure may yield higher quality research and enable more effective prevention and recovery interventions. Recent findings underscore the multifactorial contributors to the far-reaching public health challenge of firearm injury. Clinicians, researchers, and policy makers must appreciate both the acute and long-term broad consequences of this epidemic to develop, deploy, and evaluate effective interventions to reduce firearm injury harm.

Losing sleep? The effects of exposure to shootings near one's residence on self-reported sleep quantity in Chicago, 2020-2021.

Firearm violence is a public health crisis in the US and negatively impacts individuals and communities. We used data from The Healthy Chicago Survey, a citywide survey of 8,754 respondents from 2020-2021, and police-reported shootings to estimate the effect of residential exposure to shootings on sleep duration. Exposure was measured as fatal or non-fatal shootings occurring within 400 meters of the respondent's residence, within 7 days before taking the survey. Sleep was categorized into <6, 6-<7, 7-<9, and >=9 hours/day. We used log-binomial regression models to estimate risk ratios (RR). We used probabilistic quantitative bias analysis to estimate the magnitude and direction of the impact of differential outcome misclassification of self-reported sleep on results. Of 8584 survey respondents, 589 (6.9%) were exposed to at least one shooting. The estimated associations between shootings and very short and moderately short sleep duration were null, while the RR for long sleep duration was 1.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.00, 1.22); results of the quantitative bias analysis for long sleep duration were null (RR=1.04 [95% simulation interval: 0.92, 1.15]). Our findings suggest that simply living close to a recent shooting may not affect sleep duration among adults living in Chicago, but further investigation is warranted.

Improving the measurement of nonfatal shootings: a crosswalk study of NIBRS and law enforcement agency internal records

ABSTRACT Law enforcement agencies play a critical role in collecting data on firearm violence through the National Incident-based Reporting System (NIBRS). Managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this system stands to replace the Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s Summary Reporting System (UCR-SRS). Despite its advantages, NIBRS lacks dedicated reporting criteria for nonfatal shooting injuries, creating a measurement challenge. Our crosswalk study assesses the extent to which NIBRS can be used to accurately measure incidents involving nonfatal shooting injuries, relying on known incidents identified by the Detroit Police Department from 2017 to 2020. Our findings underscore the importance of establishing dedicated reporting criteria in NIBRS to capture such incidents. They also support two current approaches available to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for measuring nonfatal shooting incidents using law enforcement records. The first approach involves deriving estimates from NIBRS by identifying aggravated assaults committed with a firearm and resulting in an ‘other major’ injury to the victim. The second approach relies on agency-specific procedures and processes for recording nonfatal shooting injuries.

Examining the impact of corporate social advocacy (CSA) issue ownership and message content on authenticity perceptions and behavioral intentions

PurposeAs companies continue to engage in CSA, they continue to struggle with determining what issues they should speak out about and how they can create compelling messages that inspire action. Guided by arguments from issue ownership theory, this study examines CSA message content effects related to two different social-political issues on advocacy behavioral intentions, megaphoning, brand preference and purchase intention. Specifically, the level of advocacy in a CSA message is examined, as well as the manner in which the message is written (narrative vs informational). Furthermore, this study examines the role of perceived authenticity and its impact on an individual’s supportive intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a 2 (issue: abortion rights vs gun violence) × 2 (level of advocacy: call-to-action (CTA) vs no call-to-action) × 2 (message type: narrative vs informational) between-subjects online experiment using a Qualtrics panel (N = 529) to examine the impact of CSA message features on individuals’ supportive intentions toward the brand.FindingsResults indicate a significant interaction effect of issue by advocacy level on advocating behavioral intentions, megaphoning, brand preference and purchase intention, highlighting that companies should advocate more explicitly about some issues than others. The interaction effects of issue type × level of advocacy were completely and significantly mediated by perceived authenticity. Mediation paths revealed that a CTA with the gun violence issue had a significant positive effect on perceived authenticity, whereas a CTA with the abortion rights issue produced a significant negative effect on perceived authenticity.Originality/valueThis study makes a contribution to a growing body of CSA literature through its examination of CSA message content, which has been understudied in this context. The study findings reveal new insights regarding the interplay between issue type and level of advocacy, highlighting the importance of companies selecting issues carefully and tailoring message content appropriately to have the most impact on message receivers.

Social determinants of health, driving time to trauma hospitals, racial composition, and firearm violence in South Carolina

BackgroundNeighbourhood-level social determinants of health (‘SDOHs’) have been linked to negative health outcomes which may include elevated risk of firearm-related injury. This study investigates whether certain SDOHs, including average drive...

Legacy of Racism and Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.

Objectives. To examine whether, through interactions with preexisting socioeconomic status vulnerabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated exposure to firearm violence among communities with a legacy of redlining (i.e., grading the creditworthiness of neighborhoods based on their sociodemographic composition). Methods. We used an exogenous population threshold whereby the Home Owners Loan Corporation graded neighborhoods only in US cities with populations of more than 40 000 and used a difference-in-difference strategy to examine the evolution of fatal firearm incidents between 2017 and October 2022. Results. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, fatal firearm violence increased significantly in low-graded neighborhoods that the Home Owners Loan Corporation had deemed risky for mortgage lending. The effect held consistently across various model specifications. Conclusions. Social and environmental constructs can interact in a complex manner to compound disadvantage and exacerbate the consequences of negative shocks for marginalized communities. Public Health Implications. Home Owners Loan Corporation policies contributed to widening racial disparities in firearm violence, highlighting the need for reinvestment in marginalized communities to keep future shocks from exacerbating vulnerability to adverse outcomes. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(2):161-169. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307891).

Frequency, recency, and variety of gun violence exposure: Implications for mental health and suicide among US adults.

Frequency, recency, and variety of gun violence exposure: Implications for mental health and suicide among US adults.

The Hidden Toll of Grief After Youth Gun Violence

Ethnographic research at an all-Black, all-boys high school uncovers the emotional and academic toll of young men’s untended grief in the wake of gun deaths. After the balloons are released and the candles are snuffed out, public vigils become private burdens for the youth who survive their peers.