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Background: Gun violence disproportionately affects metropolitan areas of the United States (US). There is limited information regarding the influence of social determinants of health, such as food insecurity (FI) on firearm homicide mortality (FHM) in major metropolitan cities in the US. We sought to examine the relationship between FI and FHM. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis examining the largest 51 US major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) using data from 2018. Demographic data, markers of social inequities, and firearm homicide data were obtained from the US Census Bureau, US Department of Education, and the Frey and Brookings Institute. Food insecurity prevalence was obtained from Feeding America. Spearman ρ and linear regression were performed. Results: Using Spearman rho analysis, higher FI (r = 0.55, P < 0.001) was associated with FHM. Other variables associated with FHM included percent Black/African American (AA) (r = 0.77, P < 0.001), poverty rate (r = 0.53, P < 0.001), and percent of children living in single parent households (r = 0.58, P < 0.001). In linear regression analyses, FI was associated with increased FHM, with 1.3 additional FHM events for each unit increase in FI (β = 1.33, 95% CI 0.27-2.39, P = 0.02). The percent of a population that is Black/AA was also associated with FHM, with more than 4 additional cases for each 1% increase in the population (β = 4.32, 95% CI 3.26-5.38, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Food insecurity may influence FHM in major US metropolitan cities. Community- and hospital-based programs that target FI may help combat the gun violence epidemic and decrease gun violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work on the electoral effects of gun violence in the U.S. relying on difference-in-differences designs has produced findings ranging from null to substantively large effects. However, as difference-in-difference designs, on which this research relies, have exploded in popularity, scholars have documented several methodological issues including potential violations of parallel-trends and unaccounted for treatment effect heterogeneity. These pitfalls (and their solutions) have not been fully explored in political science. We apply these advancements to the unresolved debate on gun violence's effects on U.S. electoral outcomes. We show that studies finding a large positive effect of gun violence on Democratic vote shares are a product of a failure to properly specify difference-in-differences models when underlying assumptions are unlikely to hold. Once these biases are corrected, shootings show little evidence of sparking large electoral change. Our work clarifies an unresolved debate and provides a cautionary guide for scholars currently employing difference-in-differences designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing need for clear and definitive guidelines to prevent firearm violence in communities across the United States. Recommendations explore the utility and feasibility of universal screenings and recommend utilizing universal screening due to a lack of a clear risk to it. Providers should also work to create risk reduction plans with patients as well. Furthermore, recommendations for mental health care, counseling, and bystander training are made for institutions and their providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affluent White rural men have the highest rates of gun ownership in the United States. However, few studies have specifically examined reasons and motivations for gun ownership and gun behaviors in this population. Therefore, this study sought to examine the relationship between stress variables, namely masculine gender role stress, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and income level, and subsequent pro-gun beliefs and amount of time an individual carried a gun within this population. Results indicated that only two measures of pro-gun beliefs (i.e., believing guns keep one safe, believing guns are present in one's social sphere) were correlated with percentage of time an individual carried. Additionally, ACEs were positively correlated with believing guns influence how others perceive oneself, levels of masculine gender role stress, and income. These results suggest that White rural gun owners who have increased ACEs have decreased income and tend to believe that owning guns impacts their social status with peers. However, increased ACEs do not influence belief about guns keeping one safe, believing guns are present in one's social sphere, or gun carriage. Instead, White rural gun owners without childhood adversity may be more susceptible to believing their safety depends on guns and belongingness within their social sphere. Future research should assess reasons why affluent White rural men find it important to maintain their safety in the context of gun ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research has documented how gun violence can affect mental and physical health outcomes among adults. Likewise, the literature is also beginning to reveal negative psychological effects related to distress and hypervigilance and sociological implications around diminished community engagement and economic opportunity. However, there remains a need to fully explore the role of fear related to the experience of gun violence. Through a qualitative inquiry consisting of community resident focus groups and community leader interviews, this study examined how participants' perceptions of fear related to their exposures to and experiences of gun violence. The findings highlight the pervasive emotional experience of existing in a fearful, distressed, and/or anxious state within certain communities, and how civic disengagement, neighborhood disconnection, and economic disenfranchisement exist in communities that disproportionately experience violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence is a major public health issue of growing concern in the United States (U.S.) with 48,830 lives lost to gun related violence in 2021, documenting the highest number of gun related homicides and suicides ever recorded. The African American community is disproportionately impacted by gun violence and members of this community are almost 14x more likely to die by gun homicide than their white counterparts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified a socio-ecological framework as a lens through which to better understand violence and inform potential prevention strategies to address it. This model identifies four levels (individual, relationship, community, societal) which help to enhance our understanding of the complex interplay between individuals and their environments. Here, we use this model to understand why the African American community experiences elevated risk of gun violence in the U.S. and propose strategies for prevention. Understanding the issue of gun violence beyond individual level risk, this analysis highlights the interplay between multiple levels including the ways in which societal level factors influence violence. While this paper provides a lens through which to understand the multi-leveled factors that contribute to gun violence in the African American community, it also serves as a call to action for policymakers, scholars, and agencies to develop culturally informed policy and programming efforts specific to those who are most impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescents' possession of guns was a matter of concern even before the pandemic. It is pertinent to examine whether students continued possessing guns after schools reopened, and if so, identify factors that might have been associated with such behaviors. Towards this end, the present study examined the relationship between highschool students' experiences and their propensity to possess guns. Methods: This used responses from multiple nationally representative cross-sectional surveys of high school students from the 2019 and 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES). Gun possession within the past year was the main outcome of interest. Experiences of violence, assault, injury, and other adverse experiences were the independent variables. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions, adjusting for sample weights, were performed using SAS. Results: Out of a total of more than 25,000 and 38,000 valid responses, respectively in 2019 and 2021 to the question on gun possession, 4.7% and 4.2% reported carrying a gun at least once within the past year. Experiences of sexual violence, involvement in physical fight, perceived lack of safety, and being threatened/injured by weapons, were associated with higher adjusted odds of guns possession among males and females. Among ABES 2021 respondents (more than 7500), those who witnessed violence in the neighborhood were more likely to possess guns. This association was significant among males, whereas parents being informed about whereabouts was significant for females. Conclusion: This study shows that adverse experiences were associated with a higher odds of guns possession among female and male highschool students. Witnessing violent attack on someone in the neighborhood emerged as a risk factor for males. This suggests that social determinants of health as well as adverse experiences are associated with gun possession among high-school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surge in firearm sales from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have been linked to increases in firearm violence, which is of public concern given that having firearms in one's home is associated with increased risk for domestic violence and suicide. Consistent with pre-pandemic trends, individuals tended to purchase firearms for self-protection during COVID-19. Prior work indicates that protective firearm ownership is motivated not only by perceptions that the world (and one's local environment) is dangerous, but also by one's endorsement of masculinity norms found in U.S. cultures of honor (primarily southern and western states). Honor-based masculinity norms emphasis reputation defense, toughness, and an absolute intolerance of disrespect. The present research examined the relative motivating influences of various threat perceptions and masculine honor endorsement in predicting reasons for non-COVID-19 firearm ownership, firearm purchasing during COVID-19, and purchase intentions. Three separate samples (total N = 2483) of mostly White U.S. men completed online surveys during different months of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed measures of their endorsement of masculine honor norms, factors associated with firearm purchasing (e.g., dangerous world beliefs, intolerance of uncertainty), and firearm purchasing behaviors. Results indicated that masculine honor endorsement was higher among (1) protective firearm owners compared to non-owners and non-protective owners, (2) firearm owners who purchased a firearm during COVID-19 compared to non-owners and non-purchasing owners, and (3) firearm owners with intentions to purchase firearms in the next year compared to those without intentions and undecided owners. Relative to other predictors (e.g., COVID-19 concerns, dangerous world beliefs), masculine honor endorsement was consistently the strongest predictor of these outcomes. Findings add to the literature by highlighting the strength of masculine honor endorsement in motivating (protective) firearm ownership. Implications for interpersonal violence and suicide are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of the current study was to add to the literature and broaden our understanding of gun violence victims by examining attitudes towards gun legislation held by victims of gun violence. To our knowledge, there are only two quantitative studies that have examined the impact of gun victimization on attitudes towards gun control legislation. A secondary objective was to examine the link between impressions of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun policy preferences, which remains an understudied area in the gun legislation literature. The current study additionally examined other factors that may impact support for gun control measures. Utilizing data from a national sample of 880 adults and controlling for demographic predictors, logistic regression was employed to examine the impact of gun victimization on attitudes towards gun control legislation. Although prior gun victimization did not yield any significant findings, concordant with prior research, regression results indicated that gun ownership was a strong predictor of opposition to gun control among respondents. Interestingly, holding a favorable attitude towards the NRA was an even stronger predictor of opposition to firearms legislation than gun ownership. Findings point to the need for additional empirical research on the impact of gun victimization and the influence that organizations like the NRA have on public opinion and subsequent gun safety legislative efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guns and gun violence have become a widely discussed and hotly debated concern across the United States. With gun violence on the rise and mass shootings provoking powerful emotional outrage, the question often rests with what can or should be done to rectify these societal issues. This paper examines the attitudes of guns expressed through two qualitative interviews of gun owners in the United States. The paper observes many of the same outrage amongst these gun owners of Americans with seemingly little to show in the way of public policy progress for protecting citizens. Still, differences persist in what should be or can be done. The paper recommends more expansive study on this critical group of citizens involved in future United States gun safety and policy debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence is considered a national epidemic in the United States. In 2020, approximately 45,000 people were killed due to firearm-related injuries in the United States alone. However, research has struggled to identify a comprehensive list of risk factors associated with gun violence. One such risk factor could be threatened masculinity. This study aims to examine the effect of threatened masculinity on gun violence. As such a 2 (intervention x 3 (time) mixed design will be used. Each participant will be given a baseline assessment of their masculinity, using the Masculinity Contingency Scale. Using a variation of the hot sauce paradigm, participants will be asked to answer the Heinz Dilemma, and told that another participant will read their response, and then give the first participant an audio recording about what they think of their response. At this point, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions. They will either have their masculinity threatened or be assigned to a control group. Following this, participants will be asked to play a game involving an online voodoo doll where they will be asked to pretend the voodoo doll is the person from the recording, and to shoot the voodoo doll. It is predicted that those in the experimental group will shoot the voodoo doll more than the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence is a unique, preventable problem that contributes to a significant burden of healthcare and social costs, disability, and death in the United States. To address gun violence, several surveillance technologies have been implemented in municipalities across the US which are facilitating the collection of large amounts of data with the aim of reducing the occurrence of gun violence and responding to such incidences more quickly. One tool is ShotSpotter®, a popular acoustic gunshot detection system deployed by police departments. There are, however, research gaps about the concerns of using this technology and, to our knowledge, very little discussion about the implications and its effect on vulnerable groups exists. Accordingly, in this article, we argue against the use of technologies such as ShotSpotter as current data show inconsistent results in reducing violence. We also suggest the potential for harm from such surveillance technology should be cautiously weighed, as it could exceed the benefits of using such technology, thereby warranting further examination and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The death of a Black child to gun homicide presents unique and ongoing coping challenges for Black parents. Current studies have provided insights into the role of spirituality in facilitating adjustment after homicide loss. However, the extent to which spirituality serves as a viable coping resource for Black mothers, who are disproportionately affected by gun homicide deaths of their children, remains unexplored. This exploratory phenomenological study explored the role of spirituality as a healing resource in 15 Black mothers' grief experiences following the loss of their children to gun homicide. Thematic analysis revealed the role of spirituality in helping Black mothers find purpose in their loss. Following the loss of their children, mothers' spiritual values enabled them to come to the realization that the deaths served a purpose. Spirituality served as the fuel to strengthen and renew their purpose in their grief journey. Gun homicide grief experience is an entanglement of systemic inequality and racial oppression. Exploring spirituality as a coping resource in the grieving experiences of Black survivors serves as an opportunity for enhancing community-based, culturally relevant, and spiritually-informed interventions, to adequately meet their coping needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justifying a proposed government regulation intended to reduce firearm violence requires a conceptually sound estimate of the monetized value of that impact and how that value is distributed across the population. Some previous estimates do not serve as a valid basis for policy evaluation or are out of date. A nationally representative survey was conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in August 2022 (n = 660). The authors designed and added a series of contingent-valuation items to the questionnaire. Double-bounded estimates of willingness-to-pay (WTP) were derived from a regression analysis of responses regarding voting on a hypothetical referendum on a state-wide package of measures designed to reduce gun violence at specified cost to taxpayers. Average WTP for a reduction of 20% in the state rate of gun violence was $744 per household (IQR:$668-$928), implying a national total of $97.6 billion. Household WTP was positively associated with household income, the respondent's assessment of the seriousness of gun violence in their community and the subjective likelihood that they would become a victim of gun violence. A variety of tests support the claim that this application of the contingent-valuation method provided valid results. WTP is the recognized basis for assessing the value of proposed federal regulations. The estimated WTP for reducing gun violence is about twice as high as a recent cost-of-injury estimate and provides a much different picture of the incidence of costs by income and demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2022, a nationally representative longitudinal survey in the USA found concerningly high prevalences of support for and personal willingness to engage in political violence, but those prevalences decreased in 2023. This study examines changes in those prevalences from 2023 to 2024, an election year in the USA. Methods: Participants were members of Ipsos KnowledgePanel. Wave 3 of the survey was conducted May 23-June 14, 2024; invitations to participate were sent to all respondents to prior waves who remained in KnowledgePanel. Outcome measures concern justification for the use of violence to advance any of 17 specified political objectives, personal willingness to engage in political violence at 4 levels of severity and against 9 target populations, and expectation of firearm use in political violence. Outcomes are expressed as weighted proportions. Year-to-year change is based on the means of aggregated individual change scores, which have a potential range from 0 (no change) to ± 2. Results: The 2024 completion rates were 88.4% (8896 respondents/10,064 invitees) overall, 91.6% (8185 respondents/8932 invitees) for invitees in 2024 who had responded in 2023, and 62.8% (711 respondents/1132 invitees) for invitees in 2024 who had responded in 2022 but not in 2023. After weighting, 50.9% (95% confidence interval (CI) 49.5%, 52.3%) were female; weighted mean (SD) age was 48.5 (24.9) years. From 2023 to 2024, the prevalence of the view that violence was usually or always justified to advance at least 1 political objective did not change (2024: 26.2%, 95% CI 25.0%, 27.5%; 2023: 25.3%, 95% CI 24.1%, 26.5%). There were no changes from 2023 to 2024 in willingness to damage property, threaten a person, injure a person, or kill a person in an act of political violence, and no changes in expectations of firearm use in situations where respondents considered political violence justifiable. Changes on other measures were infrequent (17 of 58 comparisons in the main analysis) and small where they occurred (with 2 exceptions, change < 0.05). Conclusions: Contrary to expectation, support for and willingness to participate in political violence in this cohort showed little to no change from 2023 to 2024, an election year in the USA. These findings can help guide prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to various detrimental life outcomes, including an increase in threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Studies have also found an association between ACEs and firearm ownership. To date, no study has assessed whether ACEs have direct or indirect effects on defensive gun use (DGU) through these risk factors. This study used structural equation modeling to estimate the role of threat sensitivity and depressive symptoms in the direct and indirect relationships between ACEs and DGU in a subsample of adults with firearm access (n = 3130) drawn from a recent, nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. ACEs had significant (p <.05) and positive associations with threat sensitivity (β = 0.246), depressive symptoms (β = 0.291), and DGU (β = 0.093). ACEs also exhibited a significant indirect relationship with DGU through threat sensitivity (β = 0.012) but not depressive symptoms. The indirect relationship between ACEs and DGU through threat sensitivity accounted for 11% of the total effect of ACEs on DGU. The findings suggest that ACEs are associated with increased DGU through threat sensitivity. Policy targeting the prevention of ACEs may help reduce DGU, indirectly reducing injury and gun violence. Future research on the impact of ACEs on DGU should identify other externalizing mechanisms that potentially account for this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of firearm violence in Mexico has primarily focused on homicides and trafficking. Less attention has been given to understanding how firearms affect other crimes and facilitate criminal activity beyond drug markets. By analyzing two questions, this study explores the role of firearms in extortions perpetrated in Mexico from 2012 to 2021. Questions are: What is the likelihood of reporting extortions to the police if offenders exhibited firearms? What is the likelihood of compliance with demands when offenders are armed with firearms? We obtained data from Mexico's National Crime Victimization Surveys and analyzed 2,619 extortions reported from 2012 to 2021. To explore our research questions, we ran two binary logistic regressions. Our dependent variables were dichotomous (reported to police = 1, complied with demands = 1). The independent variables were weapon types (extortions involving firearms as the reference group). We controlled for victim demographics as well as crime characteristics. Our results indicate that 40% of these extortions (n = 1,058) were perpetrated with a firearm. Fifty-two percent of extortions were perpetrated by unarmed offenders (n = 1,348) and 8% (n = 213) were perpetrated with other weapons (no firearms). Models suggest that, when compared to extortions perpetrated by unarmed offenders or those exhibiting other weapons (no firearms), victims of extortions involving firearms are less likely to report these crimes to police, mainly because of fear of reprisal. Similarly, victims are more likely to comply with demands if offenders exhibit firearms. Findings highlight the role of firearms in criminal enterprises and support the need for a comprehensive policy agenda to address firearm violence in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "How US Entrepreneurs Created 'Gun Capitalism' in the Cold War" by historian Andrew C. McKevitt explores the emergence of the contemporary gun culture in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. McKevitt argues that this culture was shaped by the intersections of the Cold War and consumer capitalism, rather than historical arguments connecting it to earlier centuries. The book delves into the impact of US gun culture on domestic and international politics, highlighting key figures and events that influenced the proliferation of firearms in the country. It also examines the failures of gun control legislation and the ongoing challenges of addressing gun violence in the United States. [Extracted from the article]

Accurately documenting where and when firearms are discharged is a critical first step in gun violence prevention. Many cities rely on police calls for service as their primary source for this information. Recent studies find, however, that citizens underreport gunshots. This has led some communities to invest in gunshot detection technology (GDT) as an alternative data source. GDT remains an expensive and often controversial solution with limited evidence for long-term benefits. This underscores the need for additional research on third-party reporting of gunshots. The current study, conducted in Portland Oregon, surveyed 1,240 residents in 23 neighborhoods with above-average firearm discharges. Analyses confirm that gunshots are vastly underreported. Multivariate logistic regressions found that respondents with higher trust in the police and those worried about gun violence were more likely to call 911 when they heard gunfire. Obstacles to reporting include ambiguity regarding the nature of the sound, diffusion of responsibility, and the perceived hassle of dealing with the local emergency dispatch system. Implications for surveilling gun violence are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The State of Nevada launched the Nevada SafeVoice anonymous tip line to prevent harmful events in schools and to promote student safety, health, and wellbeing. We assessed the extent to which SafeVoice contributed to reductions in school discipline incidents, youth suicides, and increases in the positive school climate. Using interrupted time-series analyses, we found statistically significant reductions in the rates of violence against staff (an estimated 32% reduction across the two school years) and possession of weapons (also 32%). Comparing annual data over time, we also found significant improvements in school climate during the study period from 2018 to 2019. We found no effects of SafeVoice on incident rates of bullying, cyberbullying, violence against students, or suicides among youth. We estimated that savings associated with the prevented incidents of violence against staff and weapons possession totaled $34 million. Every dollar spent on the State's operation of SafeVoice saved $13.80 in identifiable prevented events, including $3.45 in direct out-of-pocket costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Global Terrorism Database, the use of firearms in terrorist attacks has been on the rise, and firearms-based attacks are the most lethal. In the aftermath of mass-casualty attacks perpetrated with firearms, policymakers across the world advocate tightened gun control to restrict terrorists' access to both licit and illicit guns. However, academic research on the linkages between firearms availability, gun control legislation, and terrorism is scarce. This study fills this research gap by conducting a systematic cross-sectional analysis of the linkage between gun control, licit and illicit stocks of firearms, and terrorist attacks in 2015–2019, based on a novel dataset incorporating the Global Terrorism Database and the Small Arms Survey. Our estimation using OLS regression shows a strong relationship between the availability of firearms and the incidence of gun-based terrorism, especially for lone wolf attacks. Furthermore, terrorists in stable, democratic countries are comparatively more likely to select firearms as their weapon of choice. Conversely, strict gun control only slightly alleviates the overall risk of terrorism in stable countries but does not impact weapon selection. In unstable countries in the grip of intrastate conflict, gun control significantly reduces lone wolf-style attacks, while organized multi-perpetrator attacks are not deterred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although gun violence has become one of the major social issues of the era, economic research on gun control has been severely lacking. The present note examines the proposed sales tax on firearms featured in the Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020. We apply prior estimates of the price elasticities of supply and demand for firearms to a simple model of ad valorem taxation in order to calculate the tax revenue and sales reduction that could result from the bill's enactment. We find that the proposed legislation would most likely reduce new gun sales by 30% to 44% and generate approximately $1.47 billion to $1.9 billion in federal tax revenue annually to be used for prevention and intervention against gun violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most homicides in the United States are committed using a handgun, but little research examines gun carrying over critical stages of the life course and changing contexts of violence. Notably, although most of the handgun homicides are committed by adults, most research on concealed gun carrying focuses on adolescents in single cohort studies. Using more than 25 years of longitudinal multicohort data from Chicago, 1994-2021, we show that pathways of concealed gun carrying are distinct between adolescence and adulthood. Adolescent carrying is often age-limited and responsive to direct exposure to gun violence (witnessing and victimization), while adult carrying is a persistent behavior that is less tied to direct exposure. The onset of concealed carry is also a strong predictor of later gun use (shooting or brandishing), and we find distinct patterns of gun use between individuals who first carry in adolescence versus adulthood. We discuss the implications of these dual pathways for research and policies on firearm use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusions This study investigated the trajectories of interpersonal stress and psychological pain and their effects on self‐harm behaviors in adolescents and explored the reciprocal associations between interpersonal stress and NSSI/SA.A delay discounting approach was applied to evaluate the degree to which these choices were influenced by two dimensions of reinforcer efficacy—delay and magnitude. The decision‐making task sampled choice behavior across various durations of temporary voluntary removal of firearms (Delay) and differences in stated potential risk of suicide (Magnitude) as a result of that choice.Results of mixed‐effects modeling indicated that the subjective value of immediate access to a firearm was differentially sensitive to both delay and magnitude. Additionally, the scaling of these effects was linked to various other indicators of firearm‐specific safety (e.g., use of trigger locks) and suicidality risk (e.g., intolerance of uncertainty).These results provide additional support for behavioral models of decision‐making (i.e., delay discounting) when evaluating how specific environmental arrangements and framing may support (or potentially discourage) engagement in means safety activities, inclusive of temporary firearms access restriction. These findings suggest that further analysis of the ecological underpinnings of these choices may help to guide more targeted efforts to engage with firearm owners in safety planning when there are concerns about the potential for suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous medical associations have identified firearm injuries as a public health issue, calling on physicians to provide firearm safety counseling. Data suggest that while many physicians agree with this, few routinely screen and provide counseling. We aimed to survey Maine physicians to assess their current firearm safety counseling practices and knowledge of a new state child access prevention (CAP) law. We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey of Maine primary care and psychiatry physicians. We recruited multiple statewide medical organizations, residency programs, and two major health systems to distribute the survey to their membership. Group differences were compared by physician rurality and years in practice using Fisher's Exact and Chi Squared tests. Ninety-five surveys were completed. Though most participants agreed that firearm injury is an important public health issue that physicians can positively affect (92%), few had received prior firearm safety counseling education (27%). There were significant differences in firearm screening frequency, with rural physicians screening more often. More rural physicians and physicians with > 10 years of clinical practice felt they had adequate knowledge to provide meaningful counseling, compared with non-rural and early career physicians, respectively. Overall, 62% of participants were unaware of the 2021 Maine CAP law. This study highlights significant differences in firearm safety counseling practices among Maine physicians based on rurality and years of experience. Participants also reported a significant gap in knowledge of a recent state child access prevention law. Next steps include development of firearm safety counseling education tailored to Maine physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The salience of neighborhoods in shaping crime patterns is one of sociology's most robust areas of research. One way through which neighborhoods shape outcomes is through the creation and maintenance of social networks, patterns of interactions and relationships among neighborhood residents, organizations, groups, and institutions. This paper explores the relationship between network structures generated through acts of co-offending—when two or more individuals engage in an alleged crime together—and patterns of neighborhood gun violence and gun availability. Using arrest data from New York City, we create co-arrest networks between individuals arrested in the city between 2010 and 2015. We analyze these network patterns to, first, understand the overall structure of co-offending networks and, then, assess how they impact neighborhood levels of gun violence and gun availability. Results show that local and extra-local networks play a central role in predicting neighborhood levels of shootings: neighborhoods with a greater density of local ties have higher shootings rates, and neighborhoods that share social ties have similar rates of violence. In contrast, the network dynamics involved in gun recoveries are almost entirely local: co-offending patterns within neighborhoods are strongly associated with the level of gun recoveries, especially the clustering of co-offending networks indicative of groups. Contrary to previous research, spatial autocorrelation failed to predict either shootings or gun recoveries when demographic features were considered. Social-demographic characteristics seem to explain much of the observed spatial autocorrelation and the precise measurement of network properties might provide better measurements of the neighborhood dynamics involved in urban gun violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police violence exposure among Latinx adults in the United States is increasingly concerning due to its prevalence and associated risks for adverse mental, behavioral, and physical health outcomes. This integrative review appraised studies published from 2003 to 2023 that examine the relationship between police violence exposure and negative health outcomes in Latinx adults. Using structured search terms, articles were identified in APA PsycInfo and PubMed databases, supplemented by a gray literature search and citation mining. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings indicate a significant positive association between police violence exposure and adverse mental (n = 9), behavioral (n = 2), and physical (n = 1) health outcomes. The results underscore the mental, behavioral, and physical health consequences of police violence exposure for Latinx adults. Given the increasing Latinx population in the United States, further research is needed to better understand this relationship and inform interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ryan Gainer, a 15-year-old African-American youth on the Autism-spectrum, was shot and killed by police officers in March 2024. The authors reflect on the tragedy of this incident and the harms that such police actions inflict on people living with disabilities and/or mental illnesses, as well as on their families, loved ones, and communities. Drawing on past research and similar incidents in recent years, the authors offer a series of systematic changes which may be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of police use of force on people on the autism spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth‐police contact is increasingly acknowledged as a stressor and a racialized adverse childhood experience that can undermine youths' mental health. The present study investigates a particularly distressing feature of youths' direct and witnessed in‐person police stops—officer gunpoint (i.e., officers drawing of firearms and pointing them at youth, their peers, or other community members). We examine patterns of youths' officer gunpoint exposure and associations with youth mental health and safety perceptions. Data come from the Survey of Police‐Adolescent Contact Experiences (SPACE), a cross‐sectional survey of a community‐based sample of Black youth ages 12–21 in Baltimore City, Maryland (n = 335), administered from August 2022 to July 2023. Findings indicate that ~33% of youth reporting in‐person police stops had been exposed to officer gunpoint during stops. Officer gunpoint was significantly and positively associated with being male, unemployed, having an incarcerated parent, living in a neighborhood with greater disorder, and having been directly stopped by police, in addition to youth delinquency and impulsivity. Net of covariates, experiencing officer gunpoint was associated with a significantly higher rate of youth emotional distress during stops. Significant associations between officer gunpoint and youths' current police violence stress, police avoidance, and diminished safety perceptions also emerged and were largely explained by youths' heightened emotional distress at the time of police stops. Trauma‐informed approaches are needed to mitigate the mental health harms of youth experiencing officer gunpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Firearms are the leading cause of death among US children and adolescents. This study evaluates whether state gun laws are associated with firearm suicides and homicides in children. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional database study comparing childhood firearm mortality with 36 state firearm laws using data from CDC WONDER and the RAND State Firearm Law Database. Primary outcomes were firearm-related suicide and homicide mortalities per 100,000 persons. We examined suicide deaths by all firearms, including intentional self-harm by handguns only, intentional self-harm by rifles, shotguns, or large firearms only, and intentional self-harm by other or unspecified firearms, as well as homicide deaths for the same firearm types in each state. Welch's t-tests compared mean rates of suicide and homicide mortality between states with and without these laws. States that either enacted or rescinded firearm legislation during this period were excluded. RESULTS: From 2009 to 2020, there were 6,735 suicides and 10,278 homicides by firearm totaling 17,013 child deaths (younger than 18 years of age) by firearm. States with "child access prevention-negligent storage" laws demonstrated lower suicide mortality rates across all firearm types (handguns: N 13, M [mean per 100,000] 0.68, SD 0.27, p < 0.001; long guns: N 12, M 0.65, SD 0.25, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in mean suicide death rates across all firearm types when comparing states with or without firearm laws related to "minimum age youth possession," "minimum age youth purchase and sale," or "child access prevention intentional." Comparing homicide mortality rates for all firearm types revealed no notable distinctions between states with and without the identified laws. CONCLUSIONS: Firearm legislation is associated with decreased suicide rates for individuals younger than 18 years of age, but its influence on homicides is less certain. Comprehensive research and thoughtful policy formulation are essential for addressing this pressing public health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on a polarized issue—U.S. gun violence—this study examines agenda setting as an antecedent of political expression on social media. A state-of-the-art machine-learning model was used to analyze news coverage from 25 media outlets—mainstream and partisan. Those results were paired with a two-wave panel survey conducted during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Findings show mainstream media shape public opinion about gun violence, which then stimulates expression about the issue on social media. The study also reveals that partisan media's gun violence coverage has significant cross-cutting effects. Notably, exposure to conservative media will decrease public salience of gun violence, pivot opinion in a more conservative direction, and discourage social media expression; and all of these effects are stronger among liberals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimated the effect of changing trends in drug- and firearm-related mortality on life expectancy in the U.S. over the last two decades. Retrospective cross-sectional study. We used national vital registration data from CDC WONDER, stratified by sex, to estimate the mortality rate due to accidental and intentional poisoning (ICD Codes X40-X49, X60-X69, Y10-Y19 and X85), and firearm deaths (ICD codes W32-W34, X72-X74, X93-X95, Y22-Y24) for the period 2000–2020. We applied standard life table methods to all cause mortality rates with and without these mortality causes to estimate the life expectancy at each age over this period. In 2020, mortality due to drugs and firearms combined reduced male life expectancy by1.67 years compared to 0.67 years in 2000, and without the effect of these two causes of death, male life expectancy in 2019 would have been 78.02 years. For women, drugs and firearm-related mortality reduced life expectancy by 0.20 years in 2000 and 0.63 years in 2020, and female life expectancy would have been 82.25 years in 2019 without the retarding effect of these two preventable causes. Drug- and firearm-related deaths have increased so rapidly, especially among younger populations, that life expectancy at birth is significantly reduced by these causes of death. Without urgent action to tackle these preventable causes of death, US life expectancy will continue to stagnate and may even decline, even without the effect of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To examine levels and temporal changes in the frequency of defensive gun use by US crime victims. Methods. We computed national-level counts of criminal incidents involving firearm defense during 3 periods: 1993 to 2005, 2007 to 2015, and 2016 to 2021. We also considered earlier national estimates for 1987 to 1990. The data came from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). We counted firearm defenses as incidents in which victims used a gun to threaten or attack an offender. Results. Over the 4 periods, for all crimes, victims reported gun defenses in an average range of between 61 000 and 65 000 incidents per year. This included between 38 000 and 53 000 personal (violent) incidents and between 12 000 and 23 000 household (property) incidents. Conclusions. Firearm defenses occurred at a relatively low and nearly constant level over the 35-year period. Although some victims use guns for defense, these uses are infrequent compared with the incidence of crime. Public Health Implications. The continuing relative rarity of NCVS armed defenses suggests that claims about the protective benefits of widespread firearm ownership may be overstated. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(12):1384–1387. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307838) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pakistani television dramas often depict scenes involving suicide that may affect the psychological wellbeing of viewers. We aimed to examine the effects of suicide depiction in Pakistani television dramas on their viewers. Methods: In April 2023, we searched the YouTube website for Urdu-language television dramas released between 2011 and 2022 that contained scenes of suicidal behaviours (both attempts and completed suicides) using the keywords 'suicide in Pakistani dramas'. Data extracted included details of the characters involved including age group, sex, role, occupation, religion, and marital status, as well as details of the suicidal behaviours including method, reason/trigger, and place of suicide. Results: In total, 49 incidents of suicidal behaviours from 46 characters in 40 Urdu-language television dramas were included in the analysis. Of the 40 dramas, 42.5% were released in 2021 and 2022, and 57.5% were released between 2011 and 2020. Among the 46 characters with suicidal behaviour, 50.0% were male, 54.3% were young adults, 52.2% were married, 26.1% were housewives, 100% were Muslim, and 34.8% were in a leading role. Of the 49 incidents of suicidal behaviour, 29 were suicide, 19 were suicide attempts, and one was homicide-suicide. Common methods of suicidal behaviour depicted were gun shooting (30.6%), wrist cutting (18.3%), self-poisoning (12.2%), and jumping from height (12.2%). Common reasons for suicidal behaviour were failure in love (24.4%), familial issues (24.4%), and others (26.5%); 69.4% of suicidal behaviour occurred in home. Conclusion: Television dramas with scenes involving suicidal behaviours may negatively affect the general population, particularly adolescents. These scenes should be censored to prevent imitation or identification among vulnerable young people. Television dramas should provide psychoeducational messages to promote help-seeking rather than suicide for emotional problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence significantly threatens tens of thousands of people annually in the United States. This paper proposes a multidisciplinary approach to address this issue. Specifically, we bridge the gap between criminology and computer vision by exploring the applicability of firearm object detection algorithms to the criminal justice system. By situating firearm object detection algorithms in situational crime prevention, we outline how they could enhance the current use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems to mitigate gun violence. We elucidate our approach to training a firearm object detection algorithm and describe why its results are meaningful to scholars beyond the realm of computer vision. Lastly, we discuss limitations associated with object detection algorithms and why they are valuable to criminal justice practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on in-depth qualitative data from key informants (i.e., village heads, and employees of burial societies) and dyads from five families interviewed between March 2020 and December 2022 in Tsholotsho and Johannesburg to explore the experiences of and adaptations to death within transnational families during the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the extraordinary autocratic governance and weaponisation of COVID-19 and the resulting travel restrictions between Zimbabwe and South Africa. The paper finds that amid mobility constraints, families experienced sociocultural changes in relation to death, causing them to experience death and mourning in unorthodox ways. For example, they participated in online memorial, funeral, and burial services and eulogies, thus embracing transnationalism by virtually participating in funerary processes at home in Zimbabwe while based in South Africa. It concludes that these virtual rituals, while giving members an appreciated sense of togetherness, did not sufficiently satisfy families' social and psychological needs nor regard their heterogeneous cultural values, beliefs, and norms concerning death. The paper acknowledges the evolving nature and complexity of the post-colonial family and its death practices. However, it stresses how the COVID-19 epidemic transformed relationships and the sense of belonging of transnational families usually displayed in death situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death for U.S. adolescents. Given the prevalence of firearm ownership in the U.S., particularly among parental figures in homes with children and teens, and the relationship between firearm access and injury outcomes, it is vital to shed light on potential parental motivations for keeping firearms in their homes. The purpose of this analysis was to examine whether exposure to community violence is associated with parental firearm ownership. Methods: Data from the Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens Consortium's National Survey (6/24/2020-7/24/2020) was examined. The survey sample comprised parents/caregivers of high-school-age teens (age 14–18). The survey examined various measures, including firearm ownership, storage, community violence exposure, and sociodemographic characteristics. Stepwise logistic regression was used to examine the association between community violence exposure and parental firearm ownership. Results: The study included 2,924 participants, with 45.1% identifying as male, 12.9% identifying as Hispanic, and 25.3% identifying as non-White. Among these participants, 43.1% reported firearm ownership, and 49.9% reported exposure to community violence. Regression models demonstrate that community violence exposure is associated with an increased likelihood of firearm ownership among parents/caregivers of high-school age teens (OR = 1.08, p < 0.05). Other significant predictors of firearm ownership among parents/caregivers included parent/caregiver age (OR = 0.99, p < 0.01), marital status (OR = 1.29, p < 0.05), and educational attainment (OR = 0.60, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings supported the hypothesis that community violence exposure was associated with an increased likelihood of parental firearm ownership, even after adjusting for potential confounders. These findings contribute to the existing literature by shedding light on the possible contributing factors for firearm ownership among parents/caregivers of teens. Public health interventions focused on raising awareness about the risks of firearm access in households with youths, providing counseling on locked storage practices, and offering resources for accessing secure firearm storage options, such as rapid access storage, may contribute to reducing firearm access among youth. Additionally, community-based initiatives focused on violence prevention and addressing the root causes of community violence can help create safer environments, thereby reducing the perceived need for accessible firearms in the home by parents and caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence is a prominent public health crisis, and the United States has one of the highest rates of violence compared to peer nations. The purpose of this study was to examine gun violence beliefs, perceptions, and personal experiences. Data were collected by both online and paper–pencil surveys (N = 1,003). Beliefs, perceptions, and reports of personal experience were examined using analysis of variance, means, percentages, and odds ratios. A p value of less than.05 was used to determine statistical significance. Individuals reporting guns in their households were significantly more likely to hold incorrect beliefs concerning gun violence and to deem it appropriate to threaten or shoot individuals in several hypothetical instances. Individuals from states with a failing Giffords Law Center gun safety rating were significantly more likely than those from passing states to know individuals who have been victims of gun violence. Results indicate a need for targeted gun violence education and advocacy. Public Significance Statement: This study investigates the connection between perceptions of gun violence and personal experience and suggests that a better understanding of gun violence and safety leads to a decreased occurrence of harm. Understanding which communities are most at risk and implementing education surrounding the use and misuse of firearms are crucial starting points for decreasing the incidence of firearm-related death and injury in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The burden of firearm injury (FI) extends beyond hospitalization; however, literature focuses mostly on short-term physical outcomes. This study aimed to assess changes in patient-reported outcomes following firearm-related trauma. We hypothesized long-term patient-reported socioeconomic, mental health, and quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes are worse post-FI compared to pre-FI.Methods: This was a retrospective study where a phone survey was conducted with FI survivors admitted between January 2017 and August 2022 at a level 1 trauma center. Survey questions assessed demographics, socioeconomics, and mental and physical health pre-FI vs ≥ 6 months post-FI; the McNemar test was used for comparisons. The PROMIS-29 + 2v2.1 NIH validated instrument was used to assess long-term QoL. Standardized NIH PROMIS T-scores were calculated using the HealthMeasures Scoring Service.Results: Of 204 eligible FI survivors, 71 were successfully contacted and 38 surveyed. Respondents were male (86.8%), Black (76%), and aged 18-29 (55.3%), and 68.4% had high school level education. Post-FI, patients were more likely to be unemployed (55.2% vs 13.2%, P < .001) and report increased mental health needs (84.2% vs 21%, P < .001) compared to pre-FI. Most (73.7%) also reported lasting physical disability. Similarly, the PROMIS instrument demonstrated largely worse health-related QoL scores post-FI, particularly high anxiety/fear (T-score 60.2, SE 3.1, CI 54.6-66.3, Table 2), pain resulting in life interference (T-score 60.0, SE 2.3, CI 55.7-63.9), and worse physical function (T-score 42.5, SE 3.0, CI 38.2-46.9).Conclusions: Firearm injury survivors had more unemployment and worse mental health post-FI compared to pre-FI. Firearm injury survivors also reported significantly worse health-related QoL metrics including pain, anxiety, and physical function 6 months following their trauma. These long-term patient-reported outcomes are a framework to build future outpatient resources.Level of Evidence: IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence against children in the United States (U.S.) is a public health crisis which violates the human rights of its victims, resulting in lasting morbidity and death. Firearm-related injury is the leading cause of death for children under eighteen years old in the U.S. We use the United [End Page 712] Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and UN Sustainable Development Goals to analyze gun violence against children in the U.S. from a human rights perspective. We recommend to 1) ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, establishing a framework for comprehensive gun law reform, 2) partner with the UN Special Representative for the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children to draft policy, 3) increase gun violence research funding, and 4) implement evidence-based community violence prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: Firearm violence continues to be a leading cause of death in the United States. As alternatives to law enforcement intervention, community‐based violence prevention programs, such as Cure Violence, have become increasingly popular across U.S. cities. This article documents the results of a multiyear, mixed‐methods, quasi‐experimental study of the implementation and impact of Cure Violence in St. Louis, Missouri, from 2020 to 2023. We analyzed data from semistructured interviews, a two‐wave community survey, and police records of neighborhood violence, finding limited evidence of program effectiveness. Although some interview participants stated that the program had a positive impact, we observed no change in community norms/perceptions of violence, and our analysis of police data suggests that program implementation was associated with declining violence in only one of the three intervention sites. Policy Implications: This article highlights challenges of implementing and evaluating community‐based violence prevention. More work is needed to unpack the mechanisms responsible for turning program activities into measurable impacts in both the short and long term. Implications for planning and evaluating community‐based violence prevention programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]