Teens who see different kinds of violence more likely to carry firearm, study finds
Reducing exposure to violence may be one way to disrupt cycles of violence among teenagers, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan.
Teenagers who witness violence in various forms are more likely than those who don't to carry a firearm, researchers at U-M's Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention in collaboration with the Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens Consortium found. That exposure to violence doesn't necessarily need to involve a gun, the study found.
Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, according to federal data. More than 4,700 young people under the age of 20 died as the result of guns in 2021.
Understanding more about the relationship between young people and guns is a critical issue in places where violence among juveniles remains high. For example, the Free Press reported in October that the number of juveniles shot and killed in Detroit in 2022 had already has tripled the number slain in 2019. The increase, experts said, was likely fueled in part by a proliferation of guns, an increased willingness to use them, and adults’ failure to secure them.
U-M researchers in their new study looked at data from a national survey that polled more than 2,100 U.S. teens and found that reducing exposure to violence may be one mechanism for breaking cycles of violence among teens.
Those who witnessed firearm-related violence, such as seeing someone use a gun to threaten another person, were more than three times more likely to carry a firearm than those who had not witnessed any gun violence, the research shows.
And those who witnessed violence that didn't involve a gun, such as seeing someone physically harm another person, were more than four times more likely to carry a firearm than those who had not witnessed similar violence.
"This study highlights the importance of identifying the unique circumstances that link these two different types of violence exposures to youth firearm carriage. In doing so, we can better understand why young people feel the need to carry a firearm, provide intervention support and strategies, and reduce youth firearm injury," said Rebeccah Sokol, an assistant professor of social work at U-M and co-director of the training and education core at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention.
The findings are published in the latest issue of Preventive Medicine.
The researchers concluded that in order to reduce firearm possession among teens, it is critical to also reduce exposure to violence in all forms.
"These findings are an example of why research on firearm-related behavior is essential to creating safer communities throughout the state and country," said Marc Zimmerman, co-director of the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention and a professor of public health and psychology.
Contact Matthew Dolan: 313-223-4743 or msdolan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @matthewsdolan