Browsing by Author "Semenza, Daniel C."

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    How combinations of state firearm laws link to low firearm suicide and homicide rates: A configurational analysis
    (Elsevier, 2022-12) Rich, John A.; Miech, Edward J.; Semenza, Daniel C.; Corbin, Theodore J.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Firearm violence, including both homicide and suicide, is a major public health problem in the United States (US). To decrease firearm mortality, US states have implemented laws to restrict firearm availability. We evaluated ten state firearm laws using configurational comparative methods (CCMs) designed to uncover how multiple factors are linked to a given outcome. We applied coincidence analysis, a novel CCM, to ten firearm laws in US states in 2016, to assess how different combinations of firearm laws distinguished states with low firearm homicide or suicide rates from those states with higher rates. The suicide analysis included all 50 US states; the homicide analysis involved the 47 US states with homicide rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2016. For low firearm suicide rates, we identified three solution pathways - the presence of universal background checks OR the presence of under 21 firearm possession restrictions OR the presence of junk gun bans - which were sufficient for low firearm suicide rates with high consistency (0.87) and coverage (0.76). For low firearm homicide rates, we identified three solution pathways - presence of under 21 firearm possession restrictions OR the presence of universal background checks together with the absence of trafficking prohibited laws OR membership in the Northern Great Plains -which were sufficient for low firearm homicide rates with high consistency (0.87) and coverage (0.81). We conclude that CCM analysis can add new insights to how multiple firearm laws work together to reduce firearm violence.
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    Identity, experience, and threat: Assessing key correlates of firearm ownership and related behaviors in a representative sample of five US States
    (Elsevier, 2023) Semenza, Daniel C.; Magee, Lauren A.; Anestis, Michael D.; Buggs, Shani A.L.
    The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial, experiential, and demographic correlates of firearm ownership, carrying, and storage methods. We used a representative survey of 3,510 people living in five US states (Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Texas) conducted in 2022. Individuals provided information on past experiences with firearms, perceptions of threat and neighborhood safety, discrimination, and tolerance of uncertainty alongside demographic items. The analysis was conducted in November 2022. Past experiences with firearms and prior victimization are associated with increased firearm ownership and carrying practices. Threat sensitivity is associated with owning more guns while poorer perceptions of neighborhood safety correspond with owning fewer guns but greater risk for unsafe storage practices like storing a loaded gun in a closet or drawer. Intolerance of uncertainty is associated with owning fewer guns and lower risk for carrying outside of the home but greater risk for unsafe storage. Prior experience of discrimination is associated with risk for carrying firearms outside of the home. Demographic characteristics related to sex, rurality, military service, and political conservatism predict risky firearm-related behaviors related to firearm ownership, carrying frequency, and unsecure storage. Taken together, we find firearm ownership and risky firearm behaviors (e.g. carrying, unsafe storage) are more prominent among groups such as politically conservative males living in rural areas while also being influenced by threatening experiences, uncertainty, and perceptions of safety.