Gun Violence Prevention Research Articles

Gun violence exposure and population health inequality: a conceptual framework

This essay establishes a conceptual framework to understand how direct, secondar and community exposures to gun violence converge to influence population health. Our framework asserts that persistent gun violence in...

Modeling a needs assessment approach for policymakers to investigate, understand, and reduce gun violence

We conducted a needs assessment evaluation as part of a community effort to plan tailored responses to reduce gun violence in a midwestern town. Various data sources were used to analyze factors leading to gun violence. The results guided the creation of evidence-based response strategies. Study findings demonstrate that even in a small town, the nature and drivers of gun violence vary considerably at the micro level and thus should be examined at this level. In this paper, we present the recommendations that followed from our study, not as solutions for other jurisdictions to adopt on their face, but rather as an example of 1) the types of solutions that follow from a thorough analysis of a local problem, and 2) a plethora of potential responses by social institutions. The goal of the paper is to provide an example process for policymakers from jurisdictions of various sizes and locales of the application of a problem-oriented approach to understanding and preventing gun violence. Undertaking a comprehensive, micro-focus to analyze the gun violence problem and its drivers in a jurisdiction provides essential information to guide the formulation of tailored, evidence-based responses.

How the APHA Maternal and Child Health Section Advanced the Public Health Approach to Gun Violence Prevention.

This manuscript provides a history of efforts by the American Public Health Association (APHA) Maternal and Child Health Section (MCH Section) Gun Violence Prevention Workgroup (GVP Workgroup) to promote gun violence prevention (GVP) as a key public health priority both within the MCH Section and APHA, and nationally. The MCH Section established a gun violence prevention workgroup in response to the murders of twenty first-grade children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This article presents an overview of the accomplishments and challenges of the MCH Section GVP Workgroup in a context of ever-increasing gun violence. As of 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens. Over the past decade, a small group of volunteers helped maintain GVP as one of the top priorities of both the MCH Section and APHA. Endorsement by the MCH Section and APHA leadership facilitated MCH Section GVP Workgroup efforts including organizing a national conference, developing scientific sessions for APHA annual meetings, establishing coalitions, and providing ongoing education and outreach to APHA members. The MCH Section GVP Workgroup helped to both elevate and maintain focus on GVP as a top priority of the MCH Section and APHA, indirectly impacting national efforts to promote a public health approach to GVP. The ongoing epidemic of firearm violence highlights the importance of continuing and strengthening this work. Individuals at other national, state or local organizations might look to the efforts and accomplishment of the MCH Section GVP Workgroup in pursuing critical issues within their own organizations.

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.

Focused deterrence, strategic management, and effective gun violence prevention

AbstractResearch SummaryThe evaluation literature suggests that focused deterrence strategies are effective in reducing gun violence. However, focused deterrence is notoriously difficult to implement and sustain. The history of focused deterrence implementation failure raises questions about its viability as a gun violence prevention strategy. Stockton, California, implemented focused deterrence three times during the past 25 years. In its most recent version, Stockton officials explicitly designed the strategy to be a permanent feature of the city's violence prevention portfolio. Although program caseloads diminished over the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the strategy faced leadership and resource challenges, Stockton's efforts prevented the program from being discontinued and, for those gang members who did receive treatment, delivered a robust gun violence prevention strategy. A quasi‐experimental evaluation shows that treated gang members were less likely to be shot and reduced their violent offending relative to similar untreated gang members. The focused deterrence impacts also appear to spill over to gang members who were socially connected to treated gang members. Although Stockton experienced an increase in homicides over the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the increase was not as steep as other comparable California cities.Policy ImplicationsFocused deterrence strategies can be effective responses to gun violence problems when implemented properly. A priori planning is essential when jurisdictions prepare to adopt focused deterrence. Strategic management actions, such as maintaining a robust network of partnering agencies, developing accountability structures and sustainability plans, and conducting upfront and ongoing problem analysis, are critical elements that must be in place for focused deterrence to be effective and sustainable.

The Crumbley Convictions: Parental Accountability and Policy Implications for Preventing Gun Violence.

The Crumbley Convictions: Parental Accountability and Policy Implications for Preventing Gun Violence.

Psychiatrists Have Tools to Prevent Gun Violence

Psychiatrists Have Tools to Prevent Gun Violence

Protocol for a nationwide case-control study of firearm violence prevention tactics and policies in K-12 schools.

Most U.S. K-12 schools have adopted safety tactics and policies like arming teachers and installing metal detectors, to address intentional school gun violence. However, there is minimal research on their effectiveness. Furthermore, sociodemographic factors may influence their implementation. Controlled studies are necessary to investigate their impact on gun violence and related disciplinary outcomes. The paper outlines the protocol for a case-control study examining gun violence prevention policies in U.S. K-12 schools. The study aims to investigate if there is an association between the total number and type of specific safety tactics and policies and the occurrence of intentional shootings in K-12 public schools, student disciplinary outcomes, and if urbanicity, economic, and racial factors modify these associations. We will create a nationally representative dataset for this study and ascertain a full census of case schools (schools that experienced intentional gunfire on the campus during school hours since 2015) through national school shooting databases. Matched control schools will be randomly selected from U.S. Department of Education's national database of all public schools. We will analyze 27 school safety strategies organized into seven key exposure groupings. Supported by the National Institutes for Child Health and Development (R01HD108027-01) and having received Institutional Review Board approval, our study is currently in the data collection phase. Our analytical plan will determine the association between the number and type of school safety tactics and policies with the occurrence of intentional shootings and suspensions and expulsions in a national sample of approximately 650 K-12 public schools. Additional analyses will investigate the effect modification of specific covariates. As the first national, controlled study, its results will provide novel and needed data on the effectiveness of school safety tactics and policies in preventing intentional shootings at K-12 public schools.

A Common Ground Gun Violence Prevention Policy Package.

In 2022 we conducted a literature review, surveyed 1078 gun owners, and conducted post-survey focus groups and interviews of gun owners and non-gun owners, to determine a common ground gun violence prevention (GVP) policy package. This allowed us to see policies that would save lives and be widely accepted: (1) violent misdemeanor laws, (2) state permit laws, combined with universal background checks; (3) red flag laws. Based on our review of relevant research, we conservatively estimate that in states without any of the policy package components, implementing this package would result in a 27.9% reduction in firearm deaths. We believe that polarization between firearm owners and non-firearm owners, which has thwarted a widely supported response to the problem of gun violence, is largely a harmful myth that can be overcome by including gun owners in the process of fashioning an effective policy approach.

Interstate Highway Connections and Traced Gun Transfers Between the 48 Contiguous United States

Interstate gun flow has critical implications for gun violence prevention, as gun transfers across state lines can undermine local gun control policies. To identify possible gun trafficking routes along interstate highways in the US. This repeated-measures, ecological, cross-sectional study used data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, to examine associations between interstate connections via 13 highways that each spanned at least 1000 miles and interstate traced gun transfer counts for the 48 contiguous United States. Analyses were completed in November 2023. Characteristics of the origin states and the transportation connections between the destination state and the origin states. The main outcome was the total count of guns used in crimes in each destination state per year that were originally purchased in the origin state. Bayesian conditional autoregressive Poisson models were used to examine associations between the count of guns used in crime traced to interstate purchases and interstate highway connections between origin and destination states. Between 2010 and 2019, 526 801 guns used in crimes in the contiguous 48 states were traced to interstate purchases. Northbound gun transfers along the Interstate 95 corridor were greater than expected to New Jersey (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.80; 95% credible interval [CrI], 1.01-7.68) and Maryland (IRR, 3.07; 95% CrI, 1.09-8.61); transfers were similarly greater along Interstate 15 southbound, Interstate 25 southbound, Interstate 35 southbound, Interstate 75 northbound and southbound, Interstate 10 westbound, and Interstate 20 eastbound and westbound. This repeated-measures, ecological, cross-sectional study identified that guns used in crimes traced to interstate purchases moved routinely between states along multiple major transportation routes. Interstate gun transfers are a major contributor to gun crime, injury, and death in the US. National policies and interstate cooperation are needed to address this issue.

Medical student advocacy and action: a student-led initiative to prevent firearm violence

Firearm violence continues to substantially increase, yet medical education is largely devoid of firearm injury prevention efforts. We evaluated reactions to Gun Violence Prevention Week (GVPW) sessions to initiate a longitudinal curriculum. All 280 participants were invited to evaluate GVPW through post-session surveys and 158 responded; 77% (124/158) were medical students. One hundred nine participants reported no prior training. Themes from open-ended questions confirmed GVPW significance by noting importance of (1) advocacy/community, (2) personal narratives, and (3) skill-based strategies. Participants expressed need for further training. Future directions include required firearm violence prevention training for all medical students.

Understanding Latine perceptions of gun violence prevention strategies across New Mexico: A conceptual paper

Gun violence within Latine communities in New Mexico is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down. The disparities in gun violence experiences mirror the structural and social position factors which negatively and disproportionately impact Latine people. In response to firearm-related deaths nearly doubling over the last decade, New Mexican legislators have been pressured to implement gun violence prevention policies. However well intended, these strategies often fail to address the structural inequities that underlie the rise in gun violence within Latine communities. There is an urgent need for research to better understand the unique experiences of Latine persons and their experiences in both gun violence and prevention. From a social ecological perspective, examining the structural barriers and facilitators which impede Latine involvement in gun violence prevention is critical to interrupting the cycles which render this group more susceptible. A deeper understanding of the factors associated with both gun violence and prevention is crucial for developing informed and culturally sensitive policies and interventions. This conceptual paper explores theory and research to better understand how gun violence impacts Latine communities and creates a conceptual framework to improve healthcare workers’ ability to encourage empowerment and efficacy regarding Latine engagement in gun violence prevention efforts. The objective of this paper is to analyze research from disciplines in the social and health sciences focusing on the experiences of Latine persons and groups experiencing gun violence and engaging in gun violence prevention.

Engaging East Harlem, New York youth in action gun violence prevention research and child rights: a preliminary study

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to have youth participate in the design and implementation of a research project set within a child rights framework to better understand high schoolers’ perceptions of safety in their school and community.ResultsBetween June 2020 and March 2021, a team of East Harlem, New York high school students, participated as co-researchers to modify the United Nations Children's Fund Child Friendly Cities Initiative Survey to suit their needs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final survey was conducted through an online remote classes system during advisory school classes, accompanied by brief focused group discussions. The novel process of conducting an interactive qualitative and quantitative virtual survey during a pandemic via youth participatory action research is outlined in this paper.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that youth participatory action research can be utilized as part of a child rights framework approach to assess the views of youth regarding community safety and violence prevention.

Interview with Rev. Deanna Hollas, Gun Violence Prevention Coordinator Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Interview with Rev. Deanna Hollas, Gun Violence Prevention Coordinator Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Evaluation of a Court-Ordered Violence Prevention Program for Gun-involved Youths

As youth gun violence continues to plague marginalized US communities, knowledge about “what works” to prevent injury and illegal gun activity within this population remains a contentious and pressing issue. This study investigates the impacts of Project Life—an education-based youth gun violence prevention program—on recidivism outcomes for a sample of 368 youths in Indianapolis, Indiana, between 2015 and 2019. We conducted retrospective outcome analyses to compare youths who completed the program (83%) to youths who did not complete the program. We find that youths who completed the program were significantly less likely to recidivate with a gun violence offense within an average follow-up period of 1.5 years following enrollment in the program. Youths who spent more time incarcerated and had a parent who was incarcerated were at higher recidivism risk when controlling for prior history of offending and other key risk factors. These nonexperimental findings show short-term promise for education-based violence prevention programming for youths at risk with fewer concerns of widening the net of carceral punishment.

Christian Arguments for Gun Violence Prevention: Reflections on Moral Claims in the Context of Advocacy

This article begins with an overview of Christian moral arguments that surface in the context of gun violence prevention advocacy. The description focuses on three claims that appear in press events and many web resources: all life is sacred, the sin of idolatry, and a call to nonviolence. Running through these arguments are references to vulnerability that bring significant moral confusion. Is vulnerability something to be addressed as a social problem, accepted as existentially inevitable, or embraced as a sign of faithfulness? The third part of the article returns to the contexts of activism to introduce a third space, the vigil. When participants in the vigil read the names of victims and hear the stories of survivors, we are reminded that gun violence prevention necessitates a distinction between actual vulnerability to gun violence, existential vulnerability as finite creatures in a fragile creation, and a virtuous vulnerability that voluntarily assumes risk as a sign of faith in God. The vigil not only reminds participants of these distinctions, but holds those vulnerable to gun violence at the center of concern around which one organizes a moral and political response that approaches vulnerability as a problem to address and not a virtue to commend.

"We been dying, and you got me on a call helping you stay alive": Black and Latinx youth organizers' experiences of racism in gun violence prevention organizations.

This study explored Black and Latinx youth organizers' experiences of racism within national gun violence prevention organizing spaces. Interview data were analyzed from 17 Black and/or Latinx youth (Mage = 20.17, 47% women) across the United States who organized against gun violence. The findings identified three forms of racism that Black and Latinx organizers experienced in national organizations: (1) being tokenized for their racial identities and experiences without having real decision making power; (2) feeling a burden to educate their white peers about the structural causes of gun violence and how to improve organizing spaces for other youth of color; and (3) being silenced in their racially conscious organizing efforts to address the structural causes of gun violence in their communities. This research highlights how Black and Latinx youth gun violence prevention organizers contend both with structural racism in their everyday lives and racism in organizing spaces.

Trends and Sources of Crime Guns in California: 2010-2021.

Firearm-related interpersonal violence is a leading cause of death and injury in cities across the United States, and understanding the movement of firearms from on-the-books sales to criminal end-user is critical to the formulation of gun violence prevention policy. In this study, we assemble a unique dataset that combines records for over 380,000 crime guns recovered by law enforcement in California (2010-2021), and more than 126,000 guns reported stolen, linked to in-state legal handgun transactions (1996-2021), to describe local and statewide crime gun trends and investigate several potentially important sources of guns to criminals, including privately manufactured firearms (PMFs), theft, and "dirty" dealers. We document a dramatic increase over the decade in firearms recovered shortly after purchase (7% were recovered within a year in 2010, up to 33% in 2021). This corresponds with a substantial rise in handgun purchasing over the decade, suggesting some fraction of newly and legally acquired firearms are likely diverted from the legal market for criminal use. We document the rapid growth of PMFs over the past 2-3 years and find theft plays some, though possibly diminishing, role as a crime gun source. Finally, we find evidence that some retailers contribute disproportionately to the supply of crime guns, though there appear to be fewer problematic dealers now than there were a decade ago. Overall, our study points to temporal shifts in the dynamics of criminal firearms commerce as well as significant city variation in the channels by which criminals acquire crime guns.

Gun Violence Prevention Policies Are Not Political: They Are Just Part of Good Public Health.

Gun Violence Prevention Policies Are Not Political: They Are Just Part of Good Public Health.

“Our Pain Makes Us Family”: March For Our Lives and the constitutive role of gun violence trauma in youth publics

This essay examines the dynamics of diverse youth public formation through analysis of the 20 student speeches delivered at the 2018 March For Our Lives rally. I argue that the collective identification as youth survivors of gun violence trauma functions to constitute this diverse youth public. I trace how the speakers’ shared gun violence trauma enabled them to form a racially integrated coalition while not discrediting their differently positioned identities and disparate gun violence experiences. In doing so, I forward a conceptualization of how youth publics negotiate gun violence trauma, asserting that youth publics are characterized by both present constraints and a future-oriented agency, members of youth publics must account for tensions across racial differences in their gun violence prevention advocacy, and gun violence trauma functions as a shared basis for political participation. My analysis of the students’ gun violence prevention discourse complicates this framework to reveal how gun violence trauma as a shared basis for youth public membership threatens their source of empowerment: ownership over their futures. Contributing to scholarship on the formation of publics, this essay demonstrates the significance of youth publics at the intersections of race, trauma, and gun violence.