RESUMO
Mass shootings are becoming more frequent in the United States, as we routinely learn from the media about attempts that have been prevented or tragedies that destroyed entire communities. To date, there has been limited understanding of the modus operandi of mass shooters, especially those who seek fame through their attacks. Here, we explore whether the attacks of these fame-seeking mass shooters were more surprising than those of others and clarify the link between fame and surprise in mass shootings. We assembled a dataset of 189 mass shootings from 1966 to 2021, integrating data from multiple sources. We categorized the incidents in terms of the targeted population and shooting location. We measured "surprisal" (often known as "Shannon information content") with respect to these features, and we scored fame from Wikipedia traffic data-a commonly used metric of fame. Surprisal was significantly higher for fame-seeking mass shooters than non-fame-seeking ones. We also registered a significant positive correlation between fame and surprisal controlling for the number of casualties and injured victims. Not only do we uncover a link between fame-seeking behavior and surprise in the attacks but also we demonstrate an association between the fame of a mass shooting and its surprise.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Violência com Arma de Fogo , Estados Unidos , HumanosRESUMO
This study examined the prevalence of firearm ownership among low-income U.S. military veterans and associated sociodemographic, trauma, and clinical characteristics. Data were analyzed from a nationally representative study of low-income U.S. veterans conducted in 2021 (n = 1,004). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses identified characteristics associated with firearm ownership and mental health correlates of firearm ownership. The results revealed 41.7% of low-income U.S. veterans (95% confidence interval [CI] = 38.7-44.8%) reported owning firearms in their household. Controlling for other factors, firearms owners were significantly more likely to be male and living in their own house. There were no significant associations between trauma exposure (history of assault, unwanted social contact, death of close friend/family, homelessness) or mental health characteristics (history of bipolar disorder, suicide attempt, drug use problems) with firearm ownership. In conclusion, two of five low-income U.S. veterans own a firearm; the prevalence of firearm ownership is higher among men and homeowners. Targeted research on these key segments of the U.S. veteran population and ways to mitigate their firearm misuse may be needed.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Veteranos , Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Veteranos/psicologia , Propriedade , Prevalência , Tentativa de SuicídioRESUMO
Aim of this study is to establish the distance and spacing of gunshot wound in the conditions of after-penetration target location. The experimental studies series on shooting coarse colico targets located behind a triplex (car windshield) with record of results by a high-speed camera with a frequency of 1000 frames per second, followed by a study of the affected targets by routine and modern methods (scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion analysis) were performed. Established results showed that fragments of projectile that overcame an obstacle and secondary projectiles have a rather stable zoning distribution behind an obstacle at a distance up to 2.5 m from the obstacle. The most informative diagnosis of an after-penetration wound distance zone is based on the character of the firearm projectile fragments dispersion, manifestation of lead particles thermal exposure from its sleeve and secondary projectiles fragments formed under the effect of shock wave superimposement in the obstacle material.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo , Humanos , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura , Balística ForenseRESUMO
The aim of this study was to establish the degree of projectile incidence angle with obstacle on forensic medical characteristic of gunshot injuries arising from smoothbore weapon fire and bullet ricochet. Based on the comprehensive forensic study results of experimental entry gunshot injuries, statistically significant differences in the following morphological signs were found for two ranges of incidence angle values (10-20° and 30-50°): «Number of MD¼, «Length 1 MD¼, «Length 2 MD¼, «Width 1 MD¼, «Orientation of AD to the conventional clock face relative to MD 1 or to the group of largest MD (max. value)¼. The medians and limits of 99% confidence intervals of these features values were observed depending on the range of incidence angle values. The revealed patterns can be used in expert practice during forensic medical examination of gunshot injuries formed as a result of a projectile ricochet after smoothbore weapon fire, as well as to develop a methodology for conducting a forensic study of this gunshot injury type.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo , Humanos , Balística Forense/métodos , Incidência , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/epidemiologia , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/etiologia , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/diagnóstico , Armas , Medicina LegalRESUMO
The firearm purchasing surge that began in 2020 has seen an unprecedented number of firearms purchased within the United States. The present study examined if those who purchased during the surge differed in their levels of threat sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty from firearm owners who did not purchase during the surge and from non-firearm owners. A sample of 6,404 participants from New Jersey, Minnesota, and Mississippi were recruited through Qualtrics Panels. Results indicated that surge purchasers have higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty and threat sensitivity relative to firearm owners who did not purchase during the surge and non-firearm owners. Additionally, first time purchasers reported greater threat sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty relative to established firearm owners who purchased additional firearms during the purchasing surge. Findings from the present study increase our understanding of how sensitivity to threats and the ability to tolerate uncertainty differs among firearm owners purchasing at this time. The results help us determine what programs will increase safety among firearm owners (e.g., buy back options, safe storage maps, firearm safety trainings).
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Humanos , Estados Unidos , Segurança , IncertezaRESUMO
Importance: Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the US. For youths aged 10 to 19 years, 64% of firearm-related deaths are due to assault. Understanding the association between the rate of death due to assault-related firearm injury and both community-level vulnerability and state-level gun laws may inform prevention efforts and public health policy. Objective: To assess the rate of death due to assault-related firearm injury stratified by community-level social vulnerability and state-level gun laws in a national cohort of youths aged 10 to 19 years. Design, Setting, and Participants: This national cross-sectional study used the Gun Violence Archive to identify all assault-related firearm deaths among youths aged 10 to 19 years occurring in the US between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022. Exposure: Census tract-level social vulnerability (measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social vulnerability index [SVI]; categorized in quartiles as low [<25th percentile], moderate [25th-50th percentile], high [51st-75th percentile], or very high [>75th percentile]) and state-level gun laws (measured by the Giffords Law Center gun law scorecard rating; categorized as restrictive, moderate, or permissive). Main Outcomes and Measures: Youth death rate (per 100 000 person-years) due to assault-related firearm injury. Results: Among 5813 youths aged 10 to 19 years who died of an assault-related firearm injury over the 2.5-year study period, the mean (SD) age was 17.1 (1.9) years, and 4979 (85.7%) were male. The death rate per 100â¯000 person-years in the low SVI cohort was 1.2 compared with 2.5 in the moderate SVI cohort, 5.2 in the high SVI cohort, and 13.3 in the very high SVI cohort. The mortality rate ratio of the very high SVI cohort compared with the low SVI cohort was 11.43 (95% CI, 10.17-12.88). When further stratifying deaths by the Giffords Law Center state-level gun law scorecard rating, the stepwise increase in death rate (per 100 000 person-years) with increasing SVI persisted, regardless of whether the Census tract was in a state with restrictive gun laws (0.83 in the low SVI cohort vs 10.11 in the very high SVI cohort), moderate gun laws (0.81 in the low SVI cohort vs 13.18 in the very high SVI cohort), or permissive gun laws (1.68 in the low SVI cohort vs 16.03 in the very high SVI cohort). The death rate per 100 000 person-years was higher for each SVI category in states with permissive compared with restrictive gun laws (eg, moderate SVI: 3.37 vs 1.71; high SVI: 6.33 vs 3.78). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, socially vulnerable communities in the US experienced a disproportionate number of assault-related firearm deaths among youths. Although stricter gun laws were associated with lower death rates in all communities, these gun laws did not equalize the consequences on a relative scale, and disadvantaged communities remained disproportionately impacted. While legislation is necessary, it may not be sufficient to solve the problem of assault-related firearm deaths among children and adolescents.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Humanos , Adolescente , Criança , Masculino , Feminino , Estudos Transversais , Setor Censitário , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.RESUMO
In COVID's immediate wake, the 2020 death toll from a different enemy of the public's health - gun violence - ticked up by 15 percent in the United States from the previous year. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in Caniglia v. Strom that will allow people who have recently threatened suicide - with a gun - to keep unsecured guns in their home unless police take time to obtain a search warrant to remove them.
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COVID-19 , Armas de Fogo , Humanos , Polícia , Saúde Mental , PolíticasRESUMO
More than half of all intimate partner homicides involve a firearm and firearms are frequently used by perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) to injure and threaten victims and survivors. Recent court decisions undermine important legal restrictions on firearm possession by IPV perpetrators, thus jeopardizing the safety of victims and survivors. This article reviews the history and recent developments in the law at the intersection of IPV and firearm violence and proposes a way forward through a health justice framework.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Violência por Parceiro Íntimo , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo , Humanos , Homicídio , Saúde Pública , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/epidemiologiaRESUMO
The United States is distinct among high-income countries for its problem with gun violence, with Americans 25 times more likely to be killed by gun homicide than people in other high-income countries.1 Suicides make up a majority of annual gun deaths - though that gap is closing as homicides are on the rise - and the U.S. accounts for 35% of global firearm suicides despite making up only 4% of the world's population.2 More concerning, gun deaths are only getting worse. In 2021, firearm fatalities approached 50,000, the highest we have seen in at least 40 years.3 The increase in homicides in conjunction with lower crime overall further suggests an problem specifically with guns.4 As devastating as these deaths are, it does not come close to encompassing the mass toll of America's gun violence epidemic - a toll that disproportionately impacts people of color, with the Black community suffering at the highest rates. A broader and more accurate view of what constitutes gun violence must become a part of the national discourse if we are going to develop effective strategies to combat this crisis.5.
Assuntos
Epidemias , Armas de Fogo , Violência com Arma de Fogo , Suicídio , Humanos , Violência com Arma de Fogo/prevenção & controle , População NegraRESUMO
The Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen undermines the ability of cities and states to regulate firearms safety. Nonetheless, we remain hopeful that firearm violence can decline even after the Bruen decision. Several promising public health approaches have gained broader adoption in recent years. This essay examines the key drivers of community firearm violence and reviews promising strategies to reverse those conditions, including community violence intervention (CVI) programs and place-based and structural interventions.
Assuntos
Epidemias , Armas de Fogo , Humanos , Clorexidina , New York/epidemiologia , Violência/prevenção & controleRESUMO
In June 2021, Missouri passed the "Second Amendment Preservation Act" (SAPA). Though SAPA passed easily and had gubernatorial support, many Missouri law enforcement agencies, including the Missouri Sheriff's Association, oppose it. Missing from this policy conversation, and deserving of analysis, is the voice of Missouri citizens. Using qualitative interview data and survey data, we explored what if anything Missouri gun owners knew about SAPA and what they perceived its effects would be on gun-related murders, suicides, gun thefts, and mass shootings. Most Missouri gun owners had not heard about SAPA and were ambivalent about its potential effect on gun safety outcomes. Our findings also indicate that respondents' attitudes toward SAPA and the impact of such policy on safety is driven by gun ownership (i.e., primary versus living in a household with firearms), partisan identification, and attitudes toward government firearm regulation.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Suicídio , Humanos , Missouri , Comunicação , Confiabilidade dos DadosRESUMO
Colorado has consistently had one of the highest rates of suicide in the United States, and El Paso County has the highest number of suicide and firearm-related suicide deaths within the state. Community-based solutions like those of the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County may be more effective in preventing suicide as they are specific to local issues, sensitive to local culture, and informed by local data, community members, and stakeholders.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Suicídio , Humanos , Prevenção ao Suicídio , Colorado/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Importance: Youths, especially Black and Hispanic males, are disproportionately affected by firearm violence. Yet, no epidemiologic studies have examined the incidence rates of nonfatal firearm injury and firearm mortality in those who may be at greatest risk-youths who have been involved with the juvenile justice system. Objectives: To examine nonfatal firearm injury and firearm mortality in youths involved with the juvenile justice system and to compare incidence rates of firearm mortality with the general population. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Northwestern Juvenile Project is a 25-year prospective longitudinal cohort study of 1829 youths after juvenile detention in Chicago, Illinois. Youths were randomly sampled by strata (sex, race and ethnicity, age, and legal status [juvenile or adult court]) at intake from the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. Participants were interviewed at baseline (November 1995 to June 1998) and reinterviewed as many as 13 times over 16 years, through February 2015. Official records on mortality were collected through December 2020. Data analysis was conducted from November 2018 to August 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Participants self-reported nonfatal firearm injuries. Firearm deaths were identified from county and state records and collateral reports. Data on firearm deaths in the general population were obtained from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Population counts were obtained from the US census. Results: The baseline sample of 1829 participants included 1172 (64.1%) males and 657 (35.9%) females; 1005 (54.9%) Black, 524 (28.6%) Hispanic, 296 (16.2%) non-Hispanic White, and 4 (0.2%) from other racial and ethnic groups (mean [SD] age, 14.9 [1.4] years). Sixteen years after detention, more than one-quarter of Black (156 of 575 [27.1%]) and Hispanic (103 of 387 [26.6%]) males had been injured or killed by firearms. Males had 13.6 (95% CI, 8.6-21.6) times the rate of firearm injury or mortality than females. Twenty-five years after the study began, 88 participants (4.8%) had been killed by a firearm. Compared with the Cook County general population, most demographic groups in the sample had significantly higher rates of firearm mortality (eg, rate ratio for males, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.0-3.9; for females: 6.5; 95% CI, 3.0-14.1; for Black males, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.7-3.7; for Hispanic males, 9.6; 95% CI, 6.2-15.0; for non-Hispanic White males, 23.0; 95% CI, 11.7-45.5). Conclusions and Relevance: This is the first study to examine the incidence of nonfatal firearm injury and firearm mortality in youths who have been involved with the juvenile justice system. Reducing firearm injury and mortality in high-risk youths and young adults requires a multidisciplinary approach involving legal professionals, health care professionals, educators, street outreach workers, and public health researchers.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo , Masculino , Feminino , Humanos , Adolescente , Adulto Jovem , Estudos Prospectivos , Estudos Longitudinais , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/epidemiologia , Causas de MorteRESUMO
The aim of the study is to explore differences in cognitive processing of phylogenetic and ontogenetic stimulus using the electroencephalography (EEG) technology. The researcher chose snakes and guns as representatives of phylogenetic stimulus and ontogenetic stimulus, respectively, and used the Oddball paradigm to present the experimental stimuli and explore the cognitive processing differences between them through time-domain analysis and time-frequency analysis. The results of time-domain analysis showed that snakes elicited larger N1, P2, and P3 amplitudes and a shorter P3 latency than guns and neutral stimuli, and that guns elicited greater P2 and P3 amplitudes than neutral stimuli. The findings of time-frequency analysis showed that the beta-band (320-420 ms, 25-35 Hz) power elicited by snakes was significantly greater than by guns and neutral stimuli, and that the beta-band power elicited by guns was significantly greater than by neutral stimuli. The results indicated that the brain has a cognitive processing advantage for both snakes and guns, which is more obvious for snakes than for guns, and that the brain is more sensitive to snakes.
Assuntos
Cognição , Eletroencefalografia , Potenciais Evocados Visuais , Armas de Fogo , Serpentes , Animais , Cognição/fisiologia , Filogenia , Tempo de Reação , Humanos , Encéfalo/fisiologia , Estimulação Luminosa , Potenciais Evocados Visuais/fisiologiaRESUMO
The association between witnessing firearm-involved violence and firearm carriage among teens, independent of non-firearm involved violence, has yet to be identified. The present analyses estimate associations of witnessing firearm-involved violence and non-firearm involved violence with firearm carriage in a nationally representative sample of teens. Data are from the FACTS National Survey-a cross-sectional web-based survey of 2140 US teenagers (ages 14-18) fielded in June-July 2020. The team first estimated the correlation between witnessing firearm-involved and non-firearm involved violence. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression then assessed the associations of witnessing firearm-involved and non-firearm involved violence with firearm carriage. The team pooled results over fifteen imputed datasets to account for missing data, and analyses incorporated survey weights to create nationally representative estimates. The correlation between witnessing firearm-involved and non-firearm involved violence was low (Ï = 0.19[0.15, 0.23]). Witnessing firearm-involved violence and witnessing non-firearm involved violence were both associated with teen firearm carriage in bivariate models (OR: 3.55[1.86, 6.79]; 4.51[1.75, 11.6]). These associations persisted in the multivariable model that adjusted for violence victimization, demographic characteristics, and both witnessing firearm-involved and non-firearm involved violence (aOR for witnessing firearm-involved violence = 3.67[1.77, 7.59]; aOR for witnessing non-firearm involved violence = 4.30[1.56, 11.9]). We found no difference in the strength of these associations (Wald χ2(df = 1) = 0.25, p = 0.80). Results suggest that witnessing firearm-involved and non-firearm involved violence are uniquely associated with teens' firearm carriage. Identifying means to reduce both exposures, in addition to recognizing factors that may weaken the associations between witnessing different types of violence and firearm carriage, may disrupt cycles of violence.
Assuntos
Vítimas de Crime , Armas de Fogo , Humanos , Adolescente , Estudos Transversais , Violência , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Importance: International Classification of Diseases-coded hospital discharge data do not accurately reflect whether firearm injuries were caused by assault, unintentional injury, self-harm, legal intervention, or were of undetermined intent. Applying natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) techniques to electronic health record (EHR) narrative text could be associated with improved accuracy of firearm injury intent data. Objective: To assess the accuracy with which an ML model identified firearm injury intent. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional retrospective EHR review was conducted at 3 level I trauma centers, 2 from health care institutions in Boston, Massachusetts, and 1 from Seattle, Washington, between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019; data analysis was performed from January 18, 2021, to August 22, 2022. A total of 1915 incident cases of firearm injury in patients presenting to emergency departments at the model development institution and 769 from the external validation institution with a firearm injury code assigned according to International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), in discharge data were included. Exposures: Classification of firearm injury intent. Main Outcomes and Measures: Intent classification accuracy by the NLP model was compared with ICD codes assigned by medical record coders in discharge data. The NLP model extracted intent-relevant features from narrative text that were then used by a gradient-boosting classifier to determine the intent of each firearm injury. Classification accuracy was evaluated against intent assigned by the research team. The model was further validated using an external data set. Results: The NLP model was evaluated in 381 patients presenting with firearm injury at the model development site (mean [SD] age, 39.2 [13.0] years; 348 [91.3%] men) and 304 patients at the external development site (mean [SD] age, 31.8 [14.8] years; 263 [86.5%] men). The model proved more accurate than medical record coders in assigning intent to firearm injuries at the model development site (accident F-score, 0.78 vs 0.40; assault F-score, 0.90 vs 0.78). The model maintained this improvement on an external validation set from a second institution (accident F-score, 0.64 vs 0.58; assault F-score, 0.88 vs 0.81). While the model showed some degradation between institutions, retraining the model using data from the second institution further improved performance on that site's records (accident F-score, 0.75; assault F-score, 0.92). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that NLP ML can be used to improve the accuracy of firearm injury intent classification compared with ICD-coded discharge data, particularly for cases of accident and assault intents (the most prevalent and commonly misclassified intent types). Future research could refine this model using larger and more diverse data sets.
Assuntos
Armas de Fogo , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo , Masculino , Humanos , Adulto , Feminino , Processamento de Linguagem Natural , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estudos Transversais , Registros Hospitalares , Ferimentos por Arma de Fogo/epidemiologia , Registros Eletrônicos de SaúdeRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: to identify spatial clusters of suicide and its epidemiological characteristics in the Chapecó (SC) micro-region from 1996 to 2018. METHODS: this was an exploratory ecological study, using data from the Mortality Information System; specific suicide rates and relative risks (RR) were calculated with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI); the scan statistic was used for spatial analysis. RESULTS: there were 1,034 suicides (13.7/100,000 inhabitants), with a male/female ratio of 3.79; the ≥ 60 age group was at higher risk for both sexes; a high risk cluster was found in the southwest region (RR = 1.57) and a low risk cluster in the southeast region, including Chapecó itself (RR = 0.68); risk of suicide among widowed (RR = 3.05; 95%CI 1.99;4.67), separated (RR = 2.48; 95%CI 1.44;4.27), and married (RR = 1.97; 95%CI 1.54;2.51) people was higher than among single people. The main methods were hanging (81.2%) and firearms (9.7%). CONCLUSION: there was a higher risk of suicide in the elderly, male and widowed people. Hanging was the most frequent method and risk clustering was found in the southwest.
