TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - "The cops didn't make it any better": perspectives on police and guns among survivors of gun violence
JO  - Social science and medicine (1982)
A1  - O'Neill, Kathleen M.
A1  - Salazar, Michelle C.
A1  - Vega, Cecilio
A1  - Campbell, Anthony
A1  - Anderson, Elijah
A1  - Dodington, James
SP  - e114197
EP  - e114197
VL  - 284
IS  - 
N2  - 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: "I don't like police, none of them"; (2) Interactions with the police in a medical setting: "The cops didn't make it any better" and (3) Ambivalence around police presence within the community: "That's their job to protect me, too." Themes related to guns in the community encompassed: (1) The availability of guns: "Getting a gun is about as easy as buying a pair of sneakers"; (2) Symbolic meaning: "Guns give them courage"; (3) Social meaning: "I just let them know: I have a gun, too." and (4) Strategic meaning: "It's just for protection." 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0277-9536
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114197
ID  - ref1
ER  -