Dataset Information

Firearm laws and the network of firearm movement among US states.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The movement of firearm across state lines may decrease the effectiveness of state-level firearm laws. Yet, how state-level firearm policies affect cross-state movement have not yet been widely explored. This study aims to characterize the interstate movement of firearms and its relationship with state-level firearm policies.

Methods

We analyzed the network of interstate firearm movement using Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives firearm trace data (2010-2017). We constructed the network of firearm movement between 50 states. We used zero-inflated negative binomial regression to estimate the relationship between the number of a state's firearm laws and number of states for which it was the source of 100 or more firearms, adjusting for state characteristics. We used a similar model to examine the relationship between firearm laws and the number of states for which a given state was the destination of 100 or more firearms.

Results

Over the 8-year period, states had an average of 26 (Standard Deviation [SD] 25.2) firearm laws. On average, a state was the source of 100 or more crime-related firearms for 2.2 (SD 2.7) states and was the destination of 100 or more crime-related firearms for 2.2 (SD 3.4) states. Greater number of firearm laws was associated with states being the source of 100 or more firearms to fewer states (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] 0.58 per SD, p < 0.001) and being the destination of 100 or more firearms from more states (IRR1.73 per SD, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Restrictive state-level firearm policies are associated with less movement of firearms to other states, but with more movement of firearms from outside states. The effectiveness of state-level firearm-restricting laws is complicated by a network of interstate firearm movement.

SUBMITTER: Takada S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8499462 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Importance:Firearm laws in one state may be associated with increased firearm death rates from homicide and suicide in neighboring states. Objective:To determine whether counties located closer to states with lenient firearm policies have higher firearm death rates. Design, Setting, and Participants:This cross-sectional study of firearm death rates by county for January 2010 to December 2014 examined data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for firearm suicide and homicide decedents for 3108 counties in the 48 contiguous states of the United States. Exposures:Each county was assigned 2 scores, a state policy score (range, 0-12) based on the strength of its state firearm laws, and an interstate policy score (range, -1.33 to 8.31) based on the sum of population-weighted and distance-decayed policy scores for all other states. Counties were divided into those with low, medium, and high home state and interstate policy scores. Main Outcomes and Measures:County-level rates of firearm, nonfirearm, and total homicide and suicide. With multilevel Bayesian spatial Poisson models, we generated incidence rate ratios (IRR) comparing incidence rates between each group of counties and the reference group, counties with high home state and high interstate policy scores. Results:Stronger firearm laws in a state were associated with lower firearm suicide rates and lower overall suicide rates regardless of the strength of the other states' laws. Counties with low state scores had the highest rates of firearm suicide. Rates were similar across levels of interstate policy score (low: IRR, 1.34; 95% credible interval [CI], 1.11-1.65; medium: IRR, 1.36, (95% CI, 1.15-1.65; and high: IRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.20-1.73). Counties with low state and low or medium interstate policy scores had the highest rates of firearm homicide. Counties with low home state and interstate scores had higher firearm homicide rates (IRR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.02-1.88) and overall homicide rates (IRR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.03-1.67). Counties in states with low firearm policy scores had lower rates of firearm homicide only if the interstate firearm policy score was high. Conclusions and Relevance:Strong state firearm policies were associated with lower suicide rates regardless of other states' laws. Strong policies were associated with lower homicide rates, and strong interstate policies were also associated with lower homicide rates, where home state policies were permissive. Strengthening state firearm policies may prevent firearm suicide and homicide, with benefits that may extend beyond state lines.

Project description:ImportanceFirearms caused more than 500 pediatric fatalities in 2017-a 50% increase from 2009. Laws regulating firearms are one approach to reducing pediatric firearm fatalities.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between state child access prevention (CAP) firearm laws and pediatric firearm fatalities.Design, setting, and participantsA state-level, cross-sectional study of CAP firearm laws throughout the United States, 1991-2016, was conducted using negative binomial regression to analyze differences in state fatality rates in children aged 0 to 14 years. Data analysis was performed from November 21, 2018, to October 18, 2019.ExposuresImplementation of 2 categories of state CAP firearm laws: recklessness laws, which pertain to providing a firearm to a child, and negligence laws, which pertain to accessibility of a firearm within the home.Main outcomes and measuresRates of firearm fatalities across all intents and by specific intent (homicide, suicide, and unintentional) per 100 000 children aged 0 to 14 years.ResultsTwenty-five states passed CAP laws between 1989 and 2000. Between 1991 and 2016, 13 697 firearm fatalities occurred in children aged 0 to 14 years. Recklessness laws were not associated with changes in pediatric firearm fatality rates. Negligence laws overall were associated with significant reductions in firearm fatalities in children aged 0 to 14 years, with a 13% relative reduction in all firearm fatalities (95% CI, -18% to -7%), a 15% relative reduction in firearm homicides (95% CI, -22% to -7%), a 12% relative reduction in firearm suicides (95% CI, -20% to -2%), and a 13% relative reduction in unintentional firearm fatalities (95% CI, -24% to -1%). The most stringent negligence laws were associated with unintentional firearm fatality reductions of 59% (95% CI, -68% to -49%). A total of 3929 deaths (29% of all firearm deaths) were associated with states not having passed the most stringent form of negligence CAP laws.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, negligence laws were associated with relative reductions in firearm fatality rates in children aged 0 to 14 years. The most stringent negligence laws were associated with the largest reductions in unintentional firearm fatalities. Recklessness laws were not associated with reduced firearm fatality rates. The passage of negligence CAP laws may have the potential to reduce firearm fatalities in children.

Project description:ImportanceSuicide by firearm is a major cause of mortality in young Missouri residents. Changes in statewide firearm policy may have contributed to changes in suicide rates.ObjectiveTo evaluate if changes in Missouri permit-to-purchase (PTP) and concealed carry firearm laws were associated with changes in rates of suicide by firearms in young Missouri residents.Design, settings, and participantsThis cross-sectional study examined rates of suicide by firearm in Missouri among adolescents (ages 14-18 years) and young adults (ages 19-24 years) from January 1999 to December 2018, following changes to state PTP and concealed carry law, in comparison with a donor state pool with existing firearm laws (13 states in PTP pool; 42 states in concealed carry pool) that did not make changes during this period. This study used a quasiexperimental, synthetic control design at the state level that defined Missouri as the treated state and treatment as changes in firearm laws.ExposuresLegislative changes to Missouri's PTP and concealed carry firearm laws.Main outcomes and measuresAge-adjusted annual rates of firearm-related suicide mortality per 100 000 people for adolescents (aged 14-18 years) and young adults (aged 19-24 years).ResultsRepeal of the PTP law was associated with a 21.8% increase in firearm suicide rates in young adults aged 19 to 24 years in Missouri. Lowering the minimum age of concealed carry to 19 years in Missouri was associated with a 32.0% increase in firearm suicide rates and a 29.7% increase in nonfirearm suicide rates in adolescents aged 14 to 18 years, and a 7.2% increase in firearm suicide rates in young adults aged 19 to 24 years.Conclusions and relevanceIncreases in rates of suicide by firearms in adolescents and young adults were seen following repeal of Missouri's PTP law and lowering of the minimum age for concealed carry in 2014. Changes in Missouri's firearm policies may be an important contributor to rates of suicide by firearm in young Missouri residents.

Project description:BackgroundFirearm violence is a significant public health problem in the United States. A surge in firearm purchasing following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to an increase in firearm violence. We sought to estimate the state-level association between firearm purchasing and interpersonal firearm violence during the pandemic.MethodsCross-sectional study of the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia from January 2018 through July 2020. Data were obtained from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (a proxy for firearm purchasing) and the Gun Violence Archive. Using negative binomial regression models, we estimated the association between cumulative excess firearm purchases in March through July 2020 (measured as the difference between observed rates and those expected from autoregressive integrated moving average models) and injuries (including nonfatal and fatal) from intentional, interpersonal firearm violence (non-domestic and domestic violence).ResultsWe estimated that there were 4.3 million excess firearm purchases nationally from March through July 2020 and a total of 4075 more firearm injuries than expected from April through July. We found no relationship between state-level excess purchasing and non-domestic firearm violence, e.g., each excess purchase per 100 population was associated with a rate ratio (RR) of firearm injury from non-domestic violence of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.50-1.02) in April; 0.99 (95% CI: 0.72-1.25) in May; 1.10 (95% CI: 0.93-1.32) in June; and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.85-1.12) in July. Excess firearm purchasing within states was associated with an increase in firearm injuries from domestic violence in April (RR: 2.60; 95% CI: 1.32-5.93) and May (RR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.19-2.91), though estimates were sensitive to model specification.ConclusionsNationwide, firearm purchasing and firearm violence increased substantially during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic. At the state level, the magnitude of the increase in purchasing was not associated with the magnitude of the increase in firearm violence. Increases in purchasing may have contributed to additional firearm injuries from domestic violence in April and May. Results suggest much of the rise in firearm violence during our study period was attributable to other factors, indicating a need for additional research.

Project description:Importance:Gun violence represents a substantial public health issue, and firearm-related injuries rank second among the causes of injury-related deaths in children aged 0 to 17 years in the United States. Ocular trauma from firearm-related injuries can lead to devastating vision loss, but little is known to date about the specific demographics and characteristics of such injuries in children. Objective:To evaluate the epidemiologic pattern of pediatric firearm-related ocular injuries. Design, Setting, and Participants:This retrospective analysis used deidentified data from the National Trauma Data Bank, the largest national registry of hospitalized trauma cases in the United States. The firearm-related ocular injuries (n?=?1972) of pediatric patients (defined as those younger than 21 years) hospitalized between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2014, were analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted from July 15, 2017, to June 15, 2019. Exposure:Firearm-related ocular trauma. Main Outcomes and Measures:Pediatric patients with firearm-related ocular injuries were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes and external causes of injury codes. Patient demographics (age, sex, and race/ethnicity), type of ocular injury, injury intent, geographic location, length of hospital admission, health insurance status, disposition at discharge, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score were collected. Results:A total of 8715 firearm-related ocular injuries were identified. Of these injuries, 1972 (22.6%) occurred in pediatric patients, most of whom were male (1678 [85.1%]) and adolescents (1037 [52.6%]), with a mean (SD) age of 15.2 (5) years. Common locations of injury were home (761 [38.6%]) and street (490 [24.8%]). Mean (SD) hospital length of stay was 7.6 (12) days, ISS was 16 (13.1), and GCS score was 11 (5.1). The most common types of firearm-related ocular injuries were open wound of the eyeball (820 [41.6%]) and ocular adnexa (502 [25.5%]), orbital injuries or fractures (591 [30.0%]), and contusion of the eye or adnexa (417 [21.1%]). Patients aged 0 to 3 years had greater odds of unintentional injuries (odds ratio [OR],?4.41; 95% CI,?2.51-7.75; P?<?.001) and injuries occurring at home (OR,?5.39; 95% CI,?2.81-10.38; P?<?.001), and those aged 19 to 21 years had greater odds of assault injuries (OR,?2.17; 95% CI,?1.77-2.66; P?<?.001) and injuries occurring on the street (OR,?1.61; 95% CI,?1.3-1.98; P?<?.001). Black patients had the greatest odds of having injuries with assault intention (OR,?4.53; 95% CI,?3.68-5.59; P?<?.001), and white patients had the greatest likelihood for self-inflicted injury (OR,?7.1; 95% CI, 5.92-9.51; P?<?.001). Traumatic brain injury resulted mostly from self-inflicted trauma (OR,?5.99; 95% CI,?4.16-8.63; P?<?.001), as did visual pathway injuries (OR,?2.86; 95% CI,?1.95-4.20; P?<?.001). The inpatient mortality rate was 12.2%. Conclusions and Relevance:This study found that pediatric firearm-related ocular injuries from 2008 through 2014 were predominantly sight-threatening and associated with traumatic brain injury. If the possible risk factors, including sex, age, race/ethnicity, and injury intention, can be confirmed for 2015 through 2019, these findings may be useful in developing strategies to prevent pediatric firearm-related ocular injuries.