Browsing by Subject "Firearms"
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Item Open Access Assault rifles; definitions, evolutionary history and medical consequences.(Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association, 1990-12) Severance, HWIn summary, the evolutionary history of assault rifles may be of interest to some medical practitioners. It is important to realize that the term "assault rifle" is incorrectly and overused in the lay press. As a rough generalization, the wounds from such weapons may fall in between those of handguns on one side and full-sized rifles on the other. The major caveat is that there can be major variations in the severity of any wound by any weapon and though it may be of some help in analyzing potential damage, knowledge of the inflicting weapon does not replace the need for good, well established principles of wound management.Item Open Access Association Between Substance Use and Gun-Related Behaviors.(Epidemiologic reviews, 2016-01-13) Chen, Danhong; Wu, Li-TzyGun-related violence is a public health concern. This study synthesizes findings on associations between substance use and gun-related behaviors. Searches through PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO located 66 studies published in English between 1992 and 2014. Most studies found a significant bivariate association between substance use and increased odds of gun-related behaviors. However, their association after adjustment was mixed, which could be attributed to a number of factors such as variations in definitions of substance use and gun activity, study design, sample demographics, and the specific covariates considered. Fewer studies identified a significant association between substance use and gun access/possession than other gun activities. The significant association between nonsubstance covariates (e.g., demographic covariates and other behavioral risk factors) and gun-related behaviors might have moderated the association between substance use and gun activities. Particularly, the strength of association between substance use and gun activities tended to reduce appreciably or to become nonsignificant after adjustment for mental disorders. Some studies indicated a positive association between the frequency of substance use and the odds of engaging in gun-related behaviors. Overall, the results suggest a need to consider substance use in research and prevention programs for gun-related violence.Item Open Access Broadening the Perspective on Gun Violence: An Examination of the Firearms Industry, 1990-2015.(American journal of preventive medicine, 2017-11) Smith, Victoria M; Siegel, Michael; Xuan, Ziming; Ross, Craig S; Galea, Sandro; Kalesan, Bindu; Fleegler, Eric; Goss, Kristin AIntroduction
Firearm violence injures or kills 100,000 Americans each year. This paper applies the Host-Agent-Vector-Environment model to this issue. Research on firearm violence tends to focus on two elements-the host (i.e., victims of firearm violence) and the environment (i.e., gun policies)-but little attention has been paid to the agent (the gun and ammunition) or the vector (firearm manufacturers, dealers, and the industry lobby).Methods
Using Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives data, trends in firearm manufacturing were investigated from 1990 to 2015. Outcome measures included: (1) trends in domestic gun manufacturing by weapon type; (2) trends in production by firearm caliber; and (3) 2015 market share by type of firearm and company. Data were collected and analyzed in 2016.Results
Overall domestic firearms production decreased slightly from 1996 through 2004, and then steadily increased from 1.7% in 2005 to 13.8% in 2013, when >10 million firearms were produced for the domestic market. The increase in total firearm production was driven by the increased production of pistols and rifles. Within the pistol category, increased production was attributable to an increase in higher caliber weapons. Similar trends were observed in gun purchases and recovered and traced crime guns.Conclusions
Trends in firearm manufacturing reveal a shift toward more-lethal weapons, and this trend is also observed in gun purchases and crime gun traces. This may reflect a societal shift in cultural practices and norms related to guns and could inform strategies to reduce firearm violence.Item Open Access Correcting Misinformation on Firearms Injuries.(JAMA network open, 2022-12) Cook, Philip J; Parker, Susan TItem Open Access Correlates of handgun carrying among adolescents in the United States.(Journal of interpersonal violence, 2012-07) Vaughn, Michael G; Perron, Brian E; Abdon, Arnelyn; Olate, René; Groom, Ralph; Wu, Li-TzyWeapon-related violence, especially the use of handguns, among adolescents is a serious public health concern. Using public-use data file from the adolescent sample (N = 17,842) in the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), this study examines the behavioral, parental involvement, and prevention correlates of handgun carrying. Overall, 3.1% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 reported carrying a handgun in the past year. Results from a series of logistic regression models indicated that males, selling and using illicit drugs, were robustly associated with an increased probability of handgun carrying among adolescents. Furthermore, youth who carry handguns were significantly less likely to report a parent being involved in their lives and were significantly more likely to have encountered violence and drug prevention programming compared with youth who did not carry handguns. Implications of these results for prevention and policy are discussed.Item Open Access Defying the odds on gun regulation: The passage of bipartisan mental health laws across the states.(The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 2015-05) Goss, Kristin AItem Open Access Easiness of Legal Access to Concealed Firearm Permits and Homicide Rates in the United States.(American journal of public health, 2017-12) Siegel, Michael; Xuan, Ziming; Ross, Craig S; Galea, Sandro; Kalesan, Bindu; Fleegler, Eric; Goss, Kristin AObjectives
To examine the relation of "shall-issue" laws, in which permits must be issued if requisite criteria are met; "may-issue" laws, which give law enforcement officials wide discretion over whether to issue concealed firearm carry permits or not; and homicide rates.Methods
We compared homicide rates in shall-issue and may-issue states and total, firearm, nonfirearm, handgun, and long-gun homicide rates in all 50 states during the 25-year period of 1991 to 2015. We included year and state fixed effects and numerous state-level factors in the analysis.Results
Shall-issue laws were significantly associated with 6.5% higher total homicide rates, 8.6% higher firearm homicide rates, and 10.6% higher handgun homicide rates, but were not significantly associated with long-gun or nonfirearm homicide.Conclusions
Shall-issue laws are associated with significantly higher rates of total, firearm-related, and handgun-related homicide.Item Open Access Firearm Homicide-Suicides in North Carolina: Evidence from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System, 2004-2014(2016-05-17) Kerber, RoseHomicide-suicides are a patterned type of violence that is distinct from other suicides and other homicides. The evidence presented in this analysis suggests that compared to both homicides and suicides, homicide-suicides are less reflective of personal problems experienced by the perpetrator and more reflective of troubled and abusive relationships between the perpetrator and the victim(s). The evidence suggests that perpetrators become maximally violent when they have lost control of a relationship. The intense fixation on the victim suggests that these incidents may be primarily homicidal. The suicidal act may be less premeditated than the homicide, and may instead reflect the perpetrator’s complete loss of control and inability to function without their primary relationship. Homicide-suicides are often preceded by a history of domestic violence and interaction with law enforcement. Interactions with law enforcement and the court system present key opportunities for intervention in abusive relationships that might prevent escalation. With better screening and robust policies that empower law enforcement and the court system to confiscate firearms from abusive individuals, hundreds of deaths could be prevented over the next decade.Item Open Access Firearm-Related Laws in All 50 US States, 1991-2016.(American journal of public health, 2017-07) Siegel, Michael; Pahn, Molly; Xuan, Ziming; Ross, Craig S; Galea, Sandro; Kalesan, Bindu; Fleegler, Eric; Goss, Kristin AObjectives
To describe a new database containing detailed annual information on firearm-related laws in place in each of the 50 US states from 1991 to 2016 and to summarize key trends in firearm-related laws during this time period.Methods
Using Thomson Reuters Westlaw data to access historical state statutes and session laws, we developed a database indicating the presence or absence of each of 133 provisions of firearm laws in each state over the 26-year period. These provisions covered 14 aspects of state policies, including regulation of the process by which firearm transfers take place, ammunition, firearm possession, firearm storage, firearm trafficking, and liability of firearm manufacturers.Results
An examination of trends in state firearm laws via this database revealed that although the number of laws nearly doubled during the study period, there was substantial heterogeneity across states, leading to a widening disparity in the number of firearm laws.Conclusions
This database can help advance firearm policy research by providing 26 years of comprehensive policy data that will allow longitudinal panel study designs that minimize the limitations present in many previous studies.Item Open Access State Intimate Partner Violence-Related Firearm Laws and Intimate Partner Homicide Rates in the United States, 1991 to 2015.(Annals of internal medicine, 2017-10) Díez, Carolina; Kurland, Rachel P; Rothman, Emily F; Bair-Merritt, Megan; Fleegler, Eric; Xuan, Ziming; Galea, Sandro; Ross, Craig S; Kalesan, Bindu; Goss, Kristin A; Siegel, MichaelBackground
To prevent intimate partner homicide (IPH), some states have adopted laws restricting firearm possession by intimate partner violence (IPV) offenders. "Possession" laws prohibit the possession of firearms by these offenders. "Relinquishment" laws prohibit firearm possession and also explicitly require offenders to surrender their firearms. Few studies have assessed the effect of these policies.Objective
To study the association between state IPV-related firearm laws and IPH rates over a 25-year period (1991 to 2015).Design
Panel study.Setting
United States, 1991 to 2015.Participants
Homicides committed by intimate partners, as identified in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, Supplementary Homicide Reports.Measurements
IPV-related firearm laws (predictor) and annual, state-specific, total, and firearm-related IPH rates (outcome).Results
State laws that prohibit persons subject to IPV-related restraining orders from possessing firearms and also require them to relinquish firearms in their possession were associated with 9.7% lower total IPH rates (95% CI, 3.4% to 15.5% reduction) and 14.0% lower firearm-related IPH rates (CI, 5.1% to 22.0% reduction) than in states without these laws. Laws that did not explicitly require relinquishment of firearms were associated with a non-statistically significant 6.6% reduction in IPH rates.Limitations
The model did not control for variation in implementation of the laws. Causal interpretation is limited by the observational and ecological nature of the analysis.Conclusion
Our findings suggest that state laws restricting firearm possession by persons deemed to be at risk for perpetrating intimate partner abuse may save lives. Laws requiring at-risk persons to surrender firearms already in their possession were associated with lower IPH rates.Primary funding source
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.Item Open Access Three Essays on Domestic Violence Related Firearms Regulations in the United States(2018) Smucker, SierraFirearms regulation rarely passes in the United States due to the strength of the gun rights lobby. However, in the past several years, policymakers in traditionally pro-gun states have passed laws that restrict domestic abusers’ access to firearms. The success of these policies suggests that domestic violence and firearms regulations may represent a rare opportunity for bipartisan agreement in this contentious policy area. This dissertation examines domestic violence related firearms regulations from three angles. The first chapter presents a qualitative comparative case study analysis of domestic violence and firearms legislation to understand how these policies overcame robust barriers to passage. The results demonstrate that the prominence of domestic violence prevention advocates and “strategic absence” of larger gun control groups in the policy process increased the probability of the legislation’s passage. The second chapter leverages an original survey experiment involving 1,000 participants in the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey (CCES) to test whether framing gun regulation as domestic violence prevention instead of gun control can increase support for the legislation. While I find that framing does not impact respondents’ support for a new law, women are more likely to support the policy than men. Importantly, this result remains significant after controlling for political party, suggesting that women’s collective action could bring about bipartisan cooperation on some gun regulations. The third and final chapter demonstrates the importance of preemptive gun regulations for reducing intimate partner homicide through an analysis of homicide data from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System. Together, this collection of studies sheds light on the politics and design of domestic violence and firearms regulation and creates a foundation for future research in this important policy area.