Citation

Reynolds AE, Hipple NK, Hancher-Rauch H, Moore E. Crime Prev. Community Safety 2022; 24(3): 211-223.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

10.1057/s41300-022-00155-z

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is evidence to suggest that law enforcement data are a valid and reliable source for firearm violence data. Data for this exploratory study come from law enforcement sources in a large Midwestern city and include all unintentional nonfatal shooting incidents (n = 177) occurring in between 2017 and 2019. Incidents most commonly occurred in the fall season, during nighttime hours, and at a residence. Victims were more likely to be male, Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, and 18-34 years old. Their injuries resulted from improper firearm handling. Most victims were wounded in their extremities and did not engage emergency medical/ambulance services before seeking medical care. This study demonstrates the utility of law enforcement data as a source for additional context surrounding unintentional nonfatal shooting incidents.

FINDINGS suggest two policy implications: requiring a gun safety course as part of the permitting process and treating gun safety as a life skill by advocating for gun safety courses in schools.

Language: en

Keywords

Firearm violence; Firearms; Gun violence; Nonfatal shooting; Unintentional shooting