Civilian Petitioners and Extreme Risk Protection Orders in the State of Washington.

OBJECTIVE: Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) are civil orders designed to temporarily restrict access to firearms when people are at substantial risk of harm to themselves or others. A minority of ERPOs in the United States have been filed by civilians, with most filed by law enforcement. The authors examined barriers and facilitators to the ERPO filing process from the perspective of the civilian petitioner. METHODS: Semistructured interviews of civilian petitioners who filed ERPOs in Washington State from December 2016 to September 2020 were conducted. The interviews examined both barriers and facilitators to filing an ERPO. A descriptive and qualitative approach with inductive-deductive thematic analysis was used to identify and code themes. RESULTS: Fifteen civilian petitioners were interviewed. Barriers to ERPO filing included perceived lack of help connecting with social services to address the potential for harmful behavior, confusion regarding the filing and court process, and petitioner distress. Facilitators included having previous legal experience, having assistance from advocates who helped shepherd petitioners through the process, and simplification of the ERPO process. CONCLUSIONS: ERPO is a useful tool for suicide and violence prevention, but several barriers may be inhibiting ERPO use among civilian petitioners. Better educational resources and advocacy programs, as well as simplified filing steps, could improve the process and make ERPOs more accessible for civilians.

Assessment of county-level proxy variables for household firearm ownership.

Our objective in this study was to evaluate how well proxy variables for firearm ownership used in county-level studies measure firearm ownership. We applied Bayesian spatial smoothing methods to calculate county-level estimates of household firearm ownership using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data (2013-2018). We compared these estimates to four proxies for county-level firearm ownership: the proportion of suicides that were firearm suicides, the average of the proportion of suicides that were firearm suicides and the proportion of homicides that were firearm homicides, gun shops per capita, and federal firearm licenses per capita. U.S. counties for which BRFSS data on household firearm ownership were collected and available for release (n = 304) were included. The median (interquartile range) prevalence of household firearm ownership was 46.6% (37.2%, 56.4%). The per capita rate of federal firearm licenses was most strongly correlated with household firearm ownership (r = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.75) followed by the proportion of suicides that were firearm suicides (r = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.54). These correlations were stronger among counties with populations of ≥250,000 people. The per capita rate of federal firearm licenses was the best proxy variable for firearm ownership at the county level, however, a better proxy should be identified.

Relation of Driving Under the Influence Laws to Access to Firearms Across US States.

Objectives. To determine differences among US states in how driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) laws activate federal firearm possession and purchase prohibitions.Methods. We performed primary legislative research to characterize DUI laws in each state. The primary outcome was the number of DUI convictions an individual must be convicted of in each state to activate the federal firearm possession and purchase prohibition. We also determined the time interval in which previous DUI convictions count for future proceedings.Results. Forty-seven states had DUI laws that activated the federal prohibition of firearm possession and purchase for a threshold number of repeated DUIs. Variation exists among states in the number of convictions (1-4) and length of liability period (5 years-lifetime) required to prohibit firearm possession and purchase.Conclusions. Variation in state laws on DUI results in differences in determining who is federally prohibited from possessing and purchasing firearms. Future research should explore whether these federal prohibitions arising from DUI convictions are enforced and whether an association exists between stricter DUI policies and reduction in firearm crimes, injuries, and deaths.

Association of Minimum Age Laws for Handgun Purchase and Possession With Homicides Perpetrated by Young Adults Aged 18 to 20 Years.

Importance: Laws mandating a minimum age to purchase or possess firearms are viewed as a potentially effective policy tool to reduce homicide by decreasing young adults' access to firearms. Objective: To evaluate whether state laws that raised the minimum age to purchase and/or possess a handgun to 21 years were associated with lower rates of firearm homicide perpetrated by young adults aged 18 to 20 years. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this difference-in-differences analysis of a national cohort, young adult-perpetrated homicide rates were compared between states that did and did not implement stricter minimum age laws than the 1994 federal statute, adjusting for state-level factors. Under 1994 US federal law, the minimum age to purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer is 21 years; to purchase a handgun from an unlicensed dealer, 18 years; and to possess a handgun, 18 years. The 12 states that raised the minimum ages to purchase and/or possess a handgun beyond those set by federal law before 1994 were excluded from the stricter implementation group. Data were collected from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2017, and analyzed from November 7, 2019, to June 23, 2020. Exposures: Implementation of state law to raise the minimum age to purchase and/or possess a handgun beyond federal minimum age laws. During the study period, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Wyoming raised the minimum age from 18 to 21 years to purchase a handgun from all dealers. With the exception of Wyoming, these states also increased the minimum age from 18 to 21 years to possess a handgun. Main Outcomes and Measures: Firearm homicides perpetrated by young adults aged 18 to 20 years. Homicide data were obtained from the Supplementary Homicide Reports. Results: During the study period, 35 960 firearm homicides were perpetrated by young adults aged 18 to 20 years. There was no statistically significant change in the rates of homicide perpetrated by this age group in the 5 states that imposed stricter age limits compared with the 32 that did not (crude incidence rate ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.86-1.40). The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 1.14 (95% CI, 0.89-1.45) in states that implemented stricter minimum age laws compared with those that did not. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that stricter state minimum age laws were not associated with significantly lower rates of young adult-perpetrated homicide in states that adopted them compared with states that did not, and policy makers should reassess their use.