Citation

Porfiri M, Barak-Ventura R, Marín MR. Patterns (N Y) 2020; 1(6): e100082.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Cell Press)

DOI

10.1016/j.patter.2020.100082

PMID

33205129 PMCID

Abstract

Discovering causal mechanisms underlying firearm acquisition can provide critical insight into firearm-related violence in the United States. Here, we established an information-theoretic framework to address the long-disputed dichotomy between self-protection and fear of firearm regulations as potential drivers of firearm acquisition in the aftermath of a mass shooting. We collected data on mass shootings, federal background checks, media output on firearm control and shootings, and firearm safety laws from 1999 to 2017. First, we conducted a cluster analysis to partition States according to the restrictiveness of their firearm-related legal environment. Then, we performed a transfer entropy analysis to unveil causal relationships at the State-level in the Wiener-Granger sense. The analysis suggests that fear of stricter firearm regulations is a stronger driver than the desire of self-protection for firearm acquisitions. This fear is likely to cross State borders, thereby shaping a collective pattern of firearm acquisition throughout the Nation.

Language: en

Keywords

media; newspaper; policy; firearm; information theory; mass shooting; spatial data; symbolic dynamics; time-series; transfer entropy