Browsing by Subject "Gun violence"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Game On, Washington! Examining American Sport’s Response to the Uvalde Massacre
    (Midwest Public Affairs Conference, 2022) Thomas, M. Blair; Daniel, Jamie Levine; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    On May 24, 2022, a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. In the aftermath, stakeholders within and across sports came together to call for political action around gun control. These included individual athletes (e.g., Natasha Cloud of the Washington Mystics and DeMarcus Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys), as well as coaches (e.g., Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors). In addition, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees coordinated their Twitter feeds to focus on gun violence statistics during a game, and the Miami Heat’s public address announcer, on behalf of the team, encouraged fans to call their state senators. In this essay, we examine the factors contributing to this coalescence. We build on relevant public administration scholarship that has examined the roles of athletes as social constructors and their impact on the administrative state. We contextualize this scholarship alongside the widespread public support for some measure of gun control. We also discuss future research avenues to examine the ongoing impacts of athlete protests.
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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.
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    Teaching Gun Violence Prevention in Undergraduate Nursing Programs
    (2023-12) Holmes, Sarah Margaret; Draucker, Claire; Moorman, Meg; Halverson, Paul; Otte, Julie; Reising, Deanna
    Gun violence is an epidemic that kills over 40,000 persons in the United States annually. Despite that gun violence is a significant public health problem, the topic is not often included in undergraduate nursing curricula. To understand this gap, the purpose of this study was to describe the teaching behaviors and perceptions of undergraduate nursing faculty related to gun violence prevention (GVP) and to explore factors that are associated with their behaviors. A survey was developed to measure faculty behaviors and perceptions. A sample of 102 nursing faculty recruited via social media communications, professional organization electronic discussion boards, and an electronic listserv completed the survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis were used to analyze their responses. Whereas most participants were favorable to including GVP topics in curriculum, only 31 had taught about GVP in an undergraduate nursing course. Participants most frequently indicated the following topics and skills should be taught: the role of guns in unintentional injuries, suicide, and intimate partner violence; assessing for gun access; counseling about safe gun storage; and counseling about lethal means restrictions to prevent suicide. Participants indicated that key barriers to teaching about GVP included having too many other topics to teach, lack of standardized educational materials, lack of guidance from accrediting bodies, lack of faculty expertise, and the current political atmosphere. Perceived level of knowledge, level of confidence, and beliefs about teaching GVP were significantly associated with teaching GVP. The findings highlight the need for faculty development programs to increase awareness of gun violence as a public health issue and assist faculty to integrate GVP education into curricula. The findings also indicate that national nursing organizations should develop guidelines, identify competencies, and provide resources related to the inclusion of GVP content in undergraduate nursing programs.
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    The COVID-19 pandemic and associated rise in pediatric firearm injuries: A multi-institutional study
    (Elsevier, 2022) Collings, Amelia T.; Farazi, Manzur; Van Arendonk, Kyle J.; Fallat, Mary E.; Minneci, Peter C.; Sato, Thomas T.; Speck, K. Elizabeth; Deans, Katherine J.; Falcone, Richard A., Jr.; Foley, David S.; Fraser, Jason D.; Gadepalli, Samir K.; Keller, Martin S.; Kotagal, Meera; Landman, Matthew P.; Leys, Charles M.; Markel, Troy A.; Rubalcava, Nathan; St. Peter, Shawn D.; Flynn-O’Brien, Katherine T.; Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Background: Firearm sales in the United States (U.S.) markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was to determine if firearm injuries in children were associated with stay-at-home orders (SHO) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized there would be an increase in pediatric firearm injuries during SHO. Methods: This was a multi institutional, retrospective study of institutional trauma registries. Patients <18 years with traumatic injuries meeting National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) criteria were included. A "COVID" cohort, defined as time from initiation of state SHO through September 30, 2020 was compared to "Historical" controls from an averaged period of corresponding dates in 2016-2019. An interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) was utilized to evaluate the association of the U.S. declaration of a national state of emergency with pediatric firearm injuries. Results: Nine Level I pediatric trauma centers were included, contributing 48,111 pediatric trauma patients, of which 1,090 patients (2.3%) suffered firearm injuries. There was a significant increase in the proportion of firearm injuries in the COVID cohort (COVID 3.04% vs. Historical 1.83%; p < 0.001). There was an increased cumulative burden of firearm injuries in 2020 compared to a historical average. ITSA showed an 87% increase in the observed rate of firearm injuries above expected after the declaration of a nationwide emergency (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The proportion of firearm injuries affecting children increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was associated with an increase in pediatric firearm injuries above expected rates based on historical patterns.
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    Threats of violent Islamist and far-right extremism: What does the research say?
    (The Conversation US, Inc., 2017-02-21) Parkin, William; Klein, Brent; Gruenewald, Jeff; Freilich, Joshua D.; Chermak, Steven; School of Public and Environmental Affairs