@article{ref1,
title=""The cops didn't make it any better": perspectives on police and guns among survivors of gun violence",
journal="Social science and medicine (1982)",
year="2021",
author="O'Neill, Kathleen M. and Salazar, Michelle C. and Vega, Cecilio and Campbell, Anthony and Anderson, Elijah and Dodington, James",
volume="284",
number="",
pages="e114197-e114197",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Survivors of gun violence in the United States (US) are twenty times more likely to be re-injured with a firearm and three times more likely to be arrested under a violence or a weapons-related charge. The mechanisms for these outcomes are multifactorial and remain largely understudied. We aimed to examine perspectives on both the police and guns among survivors of guns violence. <br><br>METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative data from a study that examined the post-hospitalization recovery experience of survivors of firearm violence. Using a conceptual framework derived from sociology literature and a coding team made up of researchers, community members and former police officers, we used directed content analysis to construct themes. <br><br>RESULTS: The data set included interviews with 20 survivors of gun violence that were all Black males, aged 20-51 years. The recurring themes around the police included: (1) Legal cynicism: &quot;I don't like police, none of them&quot;; (2) Interactions with the police in a medical setting: &quot;The cops didn't make it any better&quot; and (3) Ambivalence around police presence within the community: &quot;That's their job to protect me, too.&quot; Themes related to guns in the community encompassed: (1) The availability of guns: &quot;Getting a gun is about as easy as buying a pair of sneakers&quot;; (2) Symbolic meaning: &quot;Guns give them courage&quot;; (3) Social meaning: &quot;I just let them know: I have a gun, too.&quot; and (4) Strategic meaning: &quot;It's just for protection.&quot; CONCLUSIONS: Survivors of gun violence describe distrust for the police and an ecology of guns that confers symbolic, social and strategic meaning to owning a gun. Interventions to decrease gun violence should address the cultural value of a gun as well as focus on improving police relations with the community.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0277-9536",
doi="10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114197",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114197"
}