tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/gun-safety-23845/articlesGun safety – The Conversation2024-03-15T12:53:39Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258362024-03-15T12:53:39Z2024-03-15T12:53:39Z‘Gross negligence’: why a parent like James Crumbley can be found guilty for their child’s crimes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582010/original/file-20240314-20-jx2q3d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1203%2C53%2C1791%2C1940&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">James Crumbley appears in court on March 13, 2024, during his trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/james-crumbley-the-father-of-oxford-high-school-school-news-photo/2074373220?adppopup=true">Bill Pugliano/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a case of what prosecutors described as “gross negligence,” a Michigan jury convicted James Crumbley on charges of involuntary manslaughter <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/13/us/james-crumbley-school-shooter-father-trial/index.html">for his role</a> in his son’s deadly rampage at Oxford High School nearly three years ago. </p>
<p>Crumbley’s conviction follows the similar fate of his wife, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jennifer-crumbley-trial-verdict-rcna136937">Jennifer Crumbley</a>, who was convicted on Feb. 6, 2024, for her role in the slayings that left four high school teenagers dead and another seven injured.</p>
<p>Both face a maximum <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/12/04/oxford-shooting-heres-what-charges-potential-sentences-suspects-parents-are-facing/">prison sentence of 60 years</a> and fines up to US$30,000. </p>
<p>In December 2023, their son, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/michigan-shooting-suspect-ethan-crumbley-b1975865.html">Ethan Crumbley</a>, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting in which he killed four people and wounded seven others. </p>
<h2>Were the parents responsible?</h2>
<p>Many were surprised when <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2021/12/14/court-hearing-parents-accused-oxford-high-school-shooter/6470468001/">the Crumbleys</a> were charged for their alleged role in the tragedy.</p>
<p>Criminal law, unlike civil law, is less likely to hold defendants liable for the actions of a third party, even if that third party is the defendant’s child. This is because in criminal law defendants face incarceration and the associated stigma that comes with a conviction. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Ethan Crumbley, as seen in a police mug shot." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ethan Crumbley was convicted of fatally shooting four students at Oxford High School.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-undated-handout-photo-provided-by-the-oakland-news-photo/1237057035?adppopup=true">Photo by Oakland County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>In the rare instances that <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/9-years-after-sandy-hook-oxford-shooting-sees-parents-prosecuted-unprecedented-move-1659265">parents of school shooters are prosecuted</a>, they were normally charged with crimes such as child abuse, child neglect and the failure to properly secure a firearm. The charge lodged against the Crumbleys, <a href="https://www.justia.com/criminal/offenses/homicide/involuntary-manslaughter/">involuntary manslaughter</a>, also known as gross negligent homicide, was even more uncommon. </p>
<p>But it’s not without precedent. </p>
<p>In 2000, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/02/20-years-after-kayla-rolland-the-fatal-first-grade-shooting-that-sparked-a-national-gun-debate.html">Jamelle James</a>, a Michigan resident, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for leaving his handgun in a shoebox in his bedroom. At the time, James lived in an apartment that prosecutors described as a “flophouse” that was shared with a number of people, including two young children. </p>
<p>A 6-year-old boy – James’ nephew – was temporarily living in the apartment and discovered the gun, brought it to school and fatally shot his first grade classmate Kayla Rolland. James spent more than two years in prison before he was released on probation.</p>
<p>Prosecutors claimed that James’ conduct was “grossly negligent” and “so reckless as to demonstrate a substantial lack of concern for whether an injury resulted.” </p>
<p>Arguably, leaving an unsecured gun around very young children demonstrated James’ gross negligence. </p>
<h2>‘Egregious’ behavior</h2>
<p>One of the key questions that faced jurors in the Crumbley case was whether the parents knew that a school shooting would occur or had reckless disregard of this fact. To prove the parents’ <a href="https://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=838">gross negligence</a>, the prosecution relied on a series of alleged facts.</p>
<p>Among the most central facts was that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/us/crumbley-parents-charged-michigan-shooting.html">Crumbleys bought their son the handgun</a> as a Christmas present and later took him to target practice.</p>
<p>Neither parent informed the school that they had bought the gun and that their son had access to it.</p>
<p>After being told that her son was searching for ammo on his phone at school, Jennifer Crumbley told her son <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59523682">via text message</a> not to get caught: “LOL I’m not mad. You have to learn not to get caught.” </p>
<p>Neither of the parents opted to remove their son from school after being told that a teacher found a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/12/05/michigan-school-shooting/">disturbing drawing of a bloody figure</a> in his desk.</p>
<p>Finally, the gun was unsecured.</p>
<p>James Crumbley was “not on trial for what his son did,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/13/us/james-crumbley-school-shooter-father-trial/index.html">during closing arguments</a> on Feb. 13, 2024. Rather, he was on trial for “what he did and what he didn’t do.”</p>
<p>Unlike his wife, Crumbley <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/prosecution-rests-case-james-crumbley-trial-chaos-school-shooting-show-rcna142766">declined to testify</a>. “It is my decision to remain silent,” he said.</p>
<p>His defense lawyers presented only one witness, Crumbley’s sister, Karen. She <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/james-crumbley-trial-day-5-recap-sister-testifies-jury-instructions">testified that she had visited</a> her brother’s family a few months before the shootings and everything appeared normal.</p>
<h2>Changing the laws</h2>
<p>In the Jamelle James case, the 6-year-old who shot his classmate was never charged with a crime because most jurisdictions hold that children under the age of 7 are <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/9747/chapter/7">unable to formulate</a> criminal intent. </p>
<p>The same cannot be said for Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 years old at the time of the shootings. He was <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/02/oxford-michigan-shooting-charges-ethan-crumbley-explained/8835757002/">charged with four counts</a> of first-degree murder, one count of terrorism causing death, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald answers questions at news conference." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oakland County prosecuting attorney Karen McDonald announces on Dec. 3, 2021, that charges have been filed against the parents of Oxford High School gunman Ethan Crumbley.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/oakland-county-prosecuting-attorney-karen-mcdonald-news-photo/1356998362?adppopup=true">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Many people on both sides of the gun safety debate <a href="https://quchronicle.com/75407/opinion/oxford-is-yet-another-example-why-parents-of-school-shooters-should-be-held-responsible/">have applauded McDonald’s efforts</a> to hold people responsible for allowing guns to fall into the hands of children.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/explainer-how-unusual-to-charge-parents-in-school-shooting">According to a 2019 assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security</a>, 76% of the guns used in school shootings came from a parent or close relative, and approximately half the weapons were easily accessible. </p>
<p>At the time of the Oxford High School shootings, Michigan had no law requiring guns to be properly stored away from juveniles.</p>
<p>But two weeks after the Oxford shootings, for example, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, <a href="https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2021/12/15/michigan-rep-elissa-slotkin-introduces-legislation-requiring-safe-storage-of-firearms-in-wake-of-oxford-school-shooting/">proposed a federal law</a> holding parents or other responsible adults liable for failing to secure their firearms. </p>
<p>That federal proposal became part of a state legislative package
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/a-look-at-gun-laws-set-to-take-effect-in-2024/">signed into law</a> April 13, 2023, by Michigan Gov. <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2023/04/13/whitmer-signs-commonsense-gun-violence-prevention-legislation-to-keep-michigan-communities-safe">Gretchen Whitmer</a>.</p>
<p>The new laws took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. They established universal background checks for all firearm purchases and <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/08/13/michigan-gun-laws-background-checks-storage-red-flags-changes/70432935007/">safe storage requirements</a> designed to keep guns out of the hands of children.</p>
<p><em>Some material used in <a href="https://theconversation.com/michigan-mother-convicted-of-manslaughter-for-school-shootings-by-her-son-after-buying-him-a-gun-and-letting-him-keep-it-unsecured-222731">this story</a> was originally published on Feb. 6, 2024.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225836/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thaddeus Hoffmeister does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>James and Jennifer Crumbley purchased a handgun for their son as a Christmas present. Ethan Crumbley used that gun to kill 4 of his high school classmates.Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Professor of Law, University of DaytonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2231612024-03-08T13:37:29Z2024-03-08T13:37:29ZWhat families need to know about how to safely store firearms at home<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579045/original/file-20240229-20-8z3by2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=42%2C0%2C3430%2C2404&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Guns are the leading cause of death of children in the U.S.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/child-holding-gun-mid-section-b-w-royalty-free-image/pha184000035?phrase=kids+guns&adppopup=true">Laurent Hamels via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For the past few years, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/14/magazine/gun-violence-children-data-statistics.html">guns have been identified</a> as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/12/14/magazine/gun-violence-children-data-statistics.html">leading cause of death</a> for children in the United States.</p>
<p>There were <a href="https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/child-and-teen-firearm-mortality-in-the-u-s-and-peer-countries/">2,571 children age 1 to 17 who died in shootings</a> in the U.S. in 2021, 68% more than the 1,531 that occurred in 2000.</p>
<p>To help reduce the number of firearm-related deaths and injuries among children, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in January 2024 <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/secletter/012524.html">called upon school and district administrators</a> to talk with parents and guardians about safe firearm storage practices.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6kAiow8AAAAJ&hl=en">experts</a> on the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=r9lbnH0AAAAJ">safe storage of firearms</a> – and as leaders of the University of Connecticut’s <a href="https://arms.chip.uconn.edu/">ARMS Center for Gun Injury Prevention</a> – we often get questions about the best ways to keep guns out of the hands of children. We offer the following tips:</p>
<h2>1. Safely store all of your firearms</h2>
<p>Nearly half of the households in the U.S. have at least one firearm, but only about 40% of firearm owners store all of their guns when not in use, according to data in a survey we recently fielded. Unsecured firearms have been linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-018-0261-7">suicides, domestic homicides and accidental shootings</a>. They also heighten the risk of unauthorized use, which <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2017/11/stolen-guns-violent-crime-america/">includes theft</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Don’t assume you can hide your guns</h2>
<p>Kids generally know the hiding spots for the things their parents or caretakers do not want them to find, such as holiday gifts or Halloween candy. The same is true with firearms.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/13788?autologincheck=redirected">40% of gun-owning households</a> with children, adults said their children did not know where firearms were stored, a 2017 study found. However, many of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/hpeds.2016-0146">children reported knowing</a> and being able to access the firearms.</p>
<p>Researchers estimate that <a href="https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/research/areas-of-research/center-for-injury-research-and-policy/injury-topics/general/gun-safety">75% of children</a> who live in homes with guns know where they are stored.</p>
<p>Adults may think they can instruct children to leave firearms alone, but the 2017 study also found that <a href="https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/13788?autologincheck=redirected">22% of parents</a> wrongly believed that their children had never handled their gun.</p>
<h2>3. Store ammunition separately</h2>
<p>Research shows that locking ammunition separately from firearms further <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.6.707">reduces the risk</a> of firearm injuries in homes with children and teenagers. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bullets are scattered about a table top." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579044/original/file-20240229-20-yhh7th.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Storing ammunition separately from firearms can help reduce the risk of injury.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/war-bullets-pistol-9-mm-royalty-free-image/1940835204?phrase=guns+ammunition&adppopup=true">Olena Domanytska via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>While storing an unreadied weapon locked away may feel counterintuitive to those who own guns for personal protection, research shows that keeping firearms locked or unloaded, or both, can also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fjech.2003.017343">reduce risk of injury</a>. </p>
<h2>4. Learn to talk about firearm safety</h2>
<p>While some families may not have firearms in their home, eventually children go to other homes and, as they get older, go unsupervised.</p>
<p>Keeping children safe from gun violence requires normalizing conversations on firearm storage, even for people in households where no gun is present. </p>
<p>Approximately <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7250a1.htm#T2_down">45% of all unintentional shooting deaths</a> of children under 17 occurred outside of their own homes. When children visit friends, we believe it’s important for their parents to know if guns are present in the home they are visiting and, if present, whether those firearms are being safely stored.</p>
<p>For more information about how to discuss firearm safety, parents can visit websites such as <a href="https://besmartforkids.org/">BeSMART</a>, <a href="https://www.endfamilyfire.org/about">End Family Fire</a> and <a href="https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/advocacy/how-secure-storage-of-guns-makes-children-and-families-safer/">Secure Storage of Lethal Means</a>.</p>
<h2>5. Know the law</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/state-advocacy/safe-storage-of-firearms/">Twenty-seven states</a> have some version of <a href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/firearms-and-children-legislation/">secure storage laws</a>.</p>
<p>Based on our calculations <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm">using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, states with child access prevention laws – known as <a href="https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/strategies-and-solutions/what-works-for-health/strategies/child-firearm-access-prevention-laws#">CAP laws</a> – have a gun death rate that is 65% lower than states that do not have CAP laws (12.33 vs. 20.38 per 100,000). Of course, states with and without CAP laws have many differences; therefore, the lower rates cannot be attributed to CAP laws alone. However, the presence of CAP laws is protective and reduces gun death.</p>
<p>In the absence of a federal secure storage law, the legal requirements around firearm storage and preventing unauthorized children from accessing weapons vary by state or municipality.</p>
<p>For example, Connecticut <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2019/act/pa/pdf/2019PA-00005-R00HB-07218-PA.pdf">requires firearms be in a locked device</a> when not in use. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/rule/07-01-2020.441.113.7.pdf">Iowa prohibits</a> the storing or leaving a loaded firearm around children 14 and younger if it is not secured by a trigger lock or a securely locked container or some other secure location.</p>
<p>Further, while Michigan only recently added a safe storage law, Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of a boy who committed a mass school shooting with his parents’ unsecured firearm, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/oxford-school-shooting-ethan-crumbley-parents.html">was recently convicted</a> of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the case. Her husband’s trial in the matter <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/james-crumbley-trial-date-lawyer-charges">began on March 5, 2024</a>.</p>
<h2>6. Invest in a quality safe and/or locking device</h2>
<p>There are various levels of locked gun storage, including <a href="https://health.ucdavis.edu/what-you-can-do/firearm-safety.html#">trigger locks</a>, <a href="https://health.ucdavis.edu/what-you-can-do/firearm-safety.html">metal cable locks</a>, <a href="https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/what-qualifies-secure-gun-storage-or-safety-device#">locked gun cases and gun safes</a>. While storing a firearm and the ammunition in a locked combination or biometric device <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62245-9_12">is safest</a>, all of these methods can reduce the risk of gun injury and death. These locking devices can be purchased online, through some gun sellers or at sporting goods stores.</p>
<p>A biometric safe for a handgun is about US$65, a gun lock runs $55 to $75 dollars, and combination safes for long guns range widely from a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.</p>
<p>Family-school-community partnerships allow America’s children to grow and thrive. By asking schools to share resources for secure firearm storage and communicate evidence-based safety practices, the Department of Education is helping schools address the leading cause of death among American children.</p>
<p>But families have to do their part, too. It begins by normalizing firearm safety conversations and storing firearms properly to keep children safe.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223161/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerri Raissian is affiliated with the Niskanen Center (Sr. Fellow) and Arnold Ventures (paid consultant).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jennifer Necci Dineen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that more children have handled household guns than their parents think.Kerri Raissian, Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of ConnecticutJennifer Necci Dineen, Associate Director of the ARMS Center for Gun Injury Prevention, University of ConnecticutLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2227312024-02-06T19:49:27Z2024-02-06T19:49:27ZMichigan mother convicted of manslaughter for school shootings by her son – after buying him a gun and letting him keep it unsecured<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573587/original/file-20240205-25-g5p82p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=498%2C94%2C2497%2C1895&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jennifer Crumbley enters the Michigan courtroom during her trial on involuntary manslaughter charges on Feb. 5, 2024.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jennifer-crumbley-the-mother-of-oxford-school-shooter-ethan-news-photo/1981068568?adppopup=true">Bill Pugliano/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a decision expected to have far-reaching implications for the criminal responsibility of parents of mass shooters, a Michigan jury on Feb. 6, 2024, convicted Jennifer Crumbley on charges of involuntary manslaughter for her role in her son’s deadly rampage nearly three years ago. </p>
<p>Both Crumbley parents have pleaded not guilty to four counts each of involuntary manslaughter. Jennifer Crumbley faces a maximum <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/12/04/oxford-shooting-heres-what-charges-potential-sentences-suspects-parents-are-facing/">prison sentence of 60 years</a> and maximum fines of US$30,000. Jennifer’s husband, James Crumbley, goes on trial for the same charges in March, and, if convicted, faces the same sentencing guidelines as his wife did.</p>
<p>In December 2023, their son, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/michigan-shooting-suspect-ethan-crumbley-b1975865.html">Ethan Crumbley</a>, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting in which he killed four people and wounded seven others. </p>
<p>During the sentencing hearing for Ethan, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwamé Rowe said one of the victims was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/08/us/oxford-shooting-ethan-crumbley-sentencing/index.html">shot at point-blank range</a> after being told by the defendant to get on his knees. Another victim was shot a second time after she was down, Rowe said, “to finish the job by shooting her again.”</p>
<h2>Were the parents responsible?</h2>
<p>Many were surprised when <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2021/12/14/court-hearing-parents-accused-oxford-high-school-shooter/6470468001/">the Crumbleys</a>, were charged for their alleged role in the tragedy.</p>
<p>Criminal law, unlike civil law, is less likely to hold defendants liable for the actions of a third party, even if that third party is the defendant’s child. This is because in criminal law defendants face incarceration and the associated stigma that comes with a conviction. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Ethan Crumbley, as seen in a police mug shot." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ethan Crumbley was convicted of fatally shooting four students at Oxford High School.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-undated-handout-photo-provided-by-the-oakland-news-photo/1237057035?adppopup=true">Photo by Oakland County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>In the rare instances that <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/9-years-after-sandy-hook-oxford-shooting-sees-parents-prosecuted-unprecedented-move-1659265">parents of school shooters are prosecuted</a>, they were normally charged with crimes such as child abuse, child neglect and the failure to properly secure a firearm. The charge lodged against the Crumbleys, <a href="https://www.justia.com/criminal/offenses/homicide/involuntary-manslaughter/">involuntary manslaughter</a>, also known as gross negligent homicide, was even more uncommon. </p>
<p>But it’s not without precedent. </p>
<p>In 2000, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/02/20-years-after-kayla-rolland-the-fatal-first-grade-shooting-that-sparked-a-national-gun-debate.html">Jamelle James</a>, a Michigan resident, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for leaving his handgun in a shoebox in his bedroom. At the time, James lived in an apartment prosecutors described as a “flophouse” that was shared with a number of people, including two young children. </p>
<p>A 6-year-old boy – James’ nephew – was temporarily living in the apartment and discovered the gun, brought it to school and fatally shot his first grade classmate Kayla Rolland. James spent more than two years in prison before he was released on probation.</p>
<p>Prosecutors claimed that James’ conduct was “grossly negligent” and “so reckless as to demonstrate a substantial lack of concern for whether an injury resulted.” Arguably, leaving an unsecured gun around very young children demonstrated James’ gross negligence. </p>
<p>Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has taken direct aim at Crumbley’s parents. Their behavior, McDonald explained, was “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/03/1061190344/michigan-school-shooting-parents-oxford-charged">egregious</a>.” </p>
<p>“I want to be really clear that these charges are meant to hold the individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable and also send a message that gun owners have a responsibility,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/03/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-superintendent-message/index.html">McDonald said during a news conference</a> on Dec. 4, 2021, less than a week after the shootings at Oxford. “When they fail to uphold that responsibility, there are serious and criminal consequences.”</p>
<h2>‘Egregious’ behavior</h2>
<p>One of the key questions for jurors was whether the parents knew that a school shooting would occur or had reckless disregard of this fact. To prove the parents’ <a href="https://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=838">gross negligence</a>, the prosecution relied on a series of alleged facts.</p>
<p>Among the most central facts was that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/us/crumbley-parents-charged-michigan-shooting.html">Crumbleys bought their son the handgun</a> as a Christmas present and later took him to target practice.</p>
<p>Neither parent informed the school that they had bought the gun and that their son had access to it.</p>
<p>After being told that her son was searching for ammo on his phone at school, Jennifer <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59523682">Crumbley told her son via text message not to get caught</a>: “LOL I’m not mad. You have to learn not to get caught.” </p>
<p>Neither of the parents opted to remove their son from school after being told that a teacher found a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/12/05/michigan-school-shooting/">disturbing drawing of a bloody figure</a> in his desk.</p>
<p>Finally, the gun was unsecured.</p>
<p>During closing arguments on Feb. 2, 2024, in Jennifer Crumbley’s trial, McDonald urged the jury to consider the “really egregious facts” before deciding to convict Crumbley.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald answers questions at news conference." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oakland County prosecuting attorney Karen McDonald announces on Dec. 3, 2021, that charges have been filed against the parents of Oxford High School gunman Ethan Crumbley.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/oakland-county-prosecuting-attorney-karen-mcdonald-news-photo/1356998362?adppopup=true">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“It takes the unthinkable, and she has done the unthinkable, and because of that, four kids have died,” McDonald said.</p>
<p>Though the prosecution’s case appeared compelling, Shannon Smith, Crumbley’s defense attorney, had some very strong counterarguments.</p>
<p>For starters, the weapon was legal to own, and Michigan had no law at the time requiring the gun to be properly stored away from juveniles.</p>
<p>Smith argued that the blame lay not with Jennifer but elsewhere: on her husband for improperly securing the firearm and on the school for failing to notify her about her son’s behavioral issues. Jennifer, in her testimony, appeared to absolve herself of any missteps or negligent acts, stating, “I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently, and I wouldn’t have.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, Smith argued, the blame lay on Ethan, who planned and carried out the attack on his own.</p>
<p>As Smith asked in her closing defense argument, “Can every parent really be responsible for everything their children do, especially when it’s not foreseeable?” </p>
<h2>Changing the laws</h2>
<p>In the James case, the 6-year-old who shot his classmate was never charged with a crime because most jurisdictions hold that children under the age of 7 are <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/9747/chapter/7">unable to formulate</a> criminal intent. </p>
<p>The same cannot be said for Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 years old at the time of the shootings. He was <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/02/oxford-michigan-shooting-charges-ethan-crumbley-explained/8835757002/">charged with four counts</a> of first-degree murder, one count of terrorism causing death, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. </p>
<p>Many people on both sides of the gun safety debate <a href="https://quchronicle.com/75407/opinion/oxford-is-yet-another-example-why-parents-of-school-shooters-should-be-held-responsible/">have applauded McDonald’s efforts</a> to hold people responsible for allowing guns to fall into the hands of children. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/explainer-how-unusual-to-charge-parents-in-school-shooting">According to a 2019 assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security</a>, 76% of the guns used in school shootings came from a parent or close relative, and approximately half the weapons were easily accessible. </p>
<p>Prosecuting the Crumbleys may reverse this trend, as may recently proposed state and federal legislation. </p>
<p>Two weeks after the Oxford shootings, for example, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, <a href="https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2021/12/15/michigan-rep-elissa-slotkin-introduces-legislation-requiring-safe-storage-of-firearms-in-wake-of-oxford-school-shooting/">proposed a new federal law</a> holding parents or other responsible adults liable for failing to secure their firearms. </p>
<p>That federal proposal became part of a state legislative package
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/a-look-at-gun-laws-set-to-take-effect-in-2024/">signed into law</a> April 13, 2023, by Michigan Gov. <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2023/04/13/whitmer-signs-commonsense-gun-violence-prevention-legislation-to-keep-michigan-communities-safe">Gretchen Whitmer</a>.</p>
<p>The new laws took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. They established universal background checks for all firearm purchases and <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/08/13/michigan-gun-laws-background-checks-storage-red-flags-changes/70432935007/">safe storage requirements</a> designed to keep guns out of the hands of children.</p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: Some material used in this <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-parents-criminally-responsible-for-the-actions-of-their-child-in-the-oxford-shooting-case-prosecutors-say-yes-173881">story</a> was originally published on Dec. 20, 2021.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222731/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thaddeus Hoffmeister does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty for a school shooting committed by her son; the father faces trial next.Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Professor of Law, University of DaytonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2074042023-07-17T15:04:00Z2023-07-17T15:04:00ZA 1-minute gun safety video helped preteen children be more careful around real guns – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537385/original/file-20230713-29-yv0v92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=133%2C0%2C3420%2C2423&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A little training helped kids make safer choices when they stumbled across a gun.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/child-found-pistol-in-drawer-at-home-royalty-free-image/940915496">M-Production/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Children who watched a 1-minute-long gun safety video were more cautious when they found a real handgun hidden in a drawer in our lab compared to children who watched a car safety video, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.2397">according to our randomized clinical trial</a> published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LUrHrxcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">We</a> <a href="https://sophiekja.com">observed</a> this difference even though children saw the gun safety video a week earlier at home and even after they had watched scenes from a violent movie in our lab.</p>
<p>We tested 226 children ages 8 to 12. By the flip of a coin, children watched either a gun safety video or car safety video alone at home. Both safety videos featured The Ohio State University Chief of Police in full uniform. Younger children tend to respect authority figures, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1348/135532500167967">especially those in uniform</a>.</p>
<p>Then a week later, pairs of kids – who were friends or siblings, for example – came to our lab at Ohio State to participate in what we told them was a study about what children do for entertainment.</p>
<p>First, the child volunteers watched scenes from a PG-rated violent movie. After 20 minutes, they went to a playroom furnished with toys and games like Lego and checkers. The room also contained a file cabinet with two disabled 9 mm handguns hidden in the bottom drawer. We told the kids they could play with any of the toys and games in the room and then left them alone. A hidden camera videotaped the children’s behavior.</p>
<p>By the end of 20 minutes, 96% of the children had found the guns. Children are naturally curious, and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/09/health/gun-safety-tips-for-home-parents-children-wellness/index.html">adults often underestimate their ability</a> to find guns hidden in the home.</p>
<p><iframe id="UtRqp" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/UtRqp/5/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Kids who saw the gun safety video (compared to the car safety video) were more likely to tell an adult (33.9% of kids vs. 10.6% of kids), less likely to touch a gun (39.3% vs. 67.3%) and held it for less time if they did touch it (42.0 seconds vs. 99.9 seconds). They were also less likely to pull the trigger (8.9% vs. 29.8%), and pulled the trigger fewer times if they did pull it (4.2 vs. 7.2). </p>
<p>Risk factors that raised the likelihood of engaging in unsafe behavior around the guns included being male, watching age-inappropriate PG-13 and R-rated movies, and interest in guns, as reported by parents.</p>
<p>We also identified several protective factors that made children less likely to engage in unsafe behavior around the guns. One was previous exposure to gun safety material in a course or video. Another was having guns in the home, which makes sense because surveys find that parents with guns are <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/26/among-u-s-gun-owners-parents-more-likely-than-non-parents-to-keep-their-guns-locked-and-unloaded/">more likely to talk to their children about gun safety</a> than parents without guns. Finally, having negative attitudes about guns, like believing they’re not cool or fun, made kids less likely to engage in unsafe behavior in our study.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>In 2020 in the U.S., <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2201761">guns killed more people ages 1 through 19</a> than any other cause, including motor vehicle crashes, drug overdoses and poisoning. And the rate of gun-related deaths among U.S. children has been increasing for about a decade. Gun deaths among U.S. children under 18 <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/06/gun-deaths-among-us-kids-rose-50-percent-in-two-years/">increased from 1,732 in 2019</a> to 2,590 in 2021.</p>
<p>Gun safety videos might be a relatively simple but effective option to help decrease these gun-related deaths and injuries.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Participants in this study watched the safety video about a week before they came to our lab. Future longitudinal research is needed to establish how long the protective effects of firearm safety videos might last.</p>
<p>To see if our results apply in other situations, future research should also be conducted in a more naturalistic setting – like the home – and with children of a variety of ages and from geographical locations beyond Ohio.</p>
<h2>What other research is being done</h2>
<p>Other research on children and gun safety primarily focuses on access to guns and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1494">responsible, safe</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.6.707">and secure gun storage</a>. The <a href="https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/state-advocacy/safe-storage-of-firearms/">American Academy of Pediatrics recommends</a> that gun owners store their firearms unloaded, locked up and separate from ammunition.</p>
<p><em>This article has been updated to clarify the ages of those included in the statistics about gun-related deaths.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207404/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Kids were more likely to tell an adult and less likely to touch or hold a handgun that they discovered if they’d recently watched a short video about gun safety.Brad Bushman, Professor of Communication, The Ohio State UniversitySophie L. Kjaervik, Ph.D. Candidate in Communication, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2010702023-03-27T12:23:20Z2023-03-27T12:23:20ZWhy don’t parents like their kids to play with toy guns?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517278/original/file-20230323-28-6zjl2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1035%2C1107%2C6237%2C4190&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even playing with a fake gun comes with risks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/children-playing-with-water-gun-squirt-in-the-royalty-free-image/1280086198">sarote pruksachat/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Why don’t parents like their kids to play with fake guns? – Henry, age 11, Somerville, Massachusetts</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>A major reason parents don’t like kids to play with pretend guns is they’re afraid you’ll get hurt.</p>
<p>It can be hard for others to tell if a gun is real or just a toy. While you and your friends might be able to tell it’s a harmless game, others won’t be so sure. Someone could mistake your toy gun for a real gun, see you as a threat and try to defend themselves, hurting you in the process.</p>
<p><a href="https://wisqars.cdc.gov/reports/?o=MORT&y1=2020&y2=2020&t=0&i=0&m=20890&g=00&me=0&s=0&r=0&e=0&yp=65&a=5Yr&g1=0&g2=15&a1=0&a2=199&r1=INTENT&r2=NONE&r3=NONE&r4=NONE">Hundreds of children die because of gun violence each year</a> in the United States. Because of these numbers, people like us – <a href="https://epi.washington.edu/faculty/rivara-frederick/">a pediatrician</a> who has worked on firearm violence for 40 years and a <a href="https://psychiatry.uw.edu/profile/laura-prater/">firearm injury prevention researcher</a> – are very concerned about firearms that are not stored properly and the injuries they can cause.</p>
<p>Some of the toy guns available for kids and parents to buy look very much like real guns, including pistols and rifles. Because these toys look so real, kids who come across a real gun may not realize it’s dangerous and not a toy. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.107.6.1247">They may pick it up, fiddle around with it</a>, point it at a friend or themselves and pull the trigger. <a href="https://wisqars.cdc.gov/reports/?o=MORT&y1=2020&y2=2020&t=0&i=0&m=20890&g=00&me=0&s=0&r=0&e=0&yp=65&a=5Yr&g1=0&g2=15&a1=0&a2=199&r1=INTENT&r2=NONE&r3=NONE&r4=NONE">More than 100 children are killed</a> each year in the U.S. because they or a friend were handling a gun that unintentionally went off.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="boy playing with colorful water gun" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/517279/original/file-20230323-2435-yuecbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Certain kinds of games and play can influence how kids try to solve real world problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/boy-in-park-shooting-pump-action-water-pistol-royalty-free-image/103579216">moodboard/Image Source via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Violent games encourage violence</h2>
<p>Playing with toy guns can also affect the way you interact with the world and think about how to solve problems. Researchers have found that just seeing weapons can make people act more aggressively – this is called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.58.4.622">weapons effect</a>, and it applies to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.3824">toy guns</a>. After watching a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.2229">movie that contains a lot of gun violence</a>, kids tend to be more interested in playing with guns, too. These are reasons parents may want to limit kids’ exposure to movies and TV shows that feature guns and prefer for kids to play with nonweapon toys.</p>
<p>Playing games that involve violence can make you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2021.06.005">more comfortable with violence and aggression</a>. Kids can even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.002">become more violent themselves</a>. Researchers have found that kids who play a lot of violent video games tend to show more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4319">signs of aggression</a> than those who don’t play them.</p>
<p>We worry that kids who play a lot of shooting video games and with toy guns will believe that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.09.004">settling arguments with violence and guns</a> is the right thing to do, when there are more constructive ways to resolve disputes.</p>
<h2>Real guns are not toys</h2>
<p>Adults who have firearms at home have a responsibility to keep them locked up and to prevent anyone from inappropriately accessing and using them. But some people who have firearms <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.1447">don’t lock them up</a>. Or they keep them loaded with ammunition, which is very unsafe. It is always best to treat a gun as if it is real and loaded.</p>
<p><a href="https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/gun-safety.html">What should kids do</a> if they find a firearm in their home or at a friend’s? The answer is very simple: Do not touch it. Leave it alone and tell an adult – even if you think it may be a toy. Checking it out yourself may cause the gun to go off accidentally and hurt someone if it turns out to be real.</p>
<p>The same is true at school. If you find a gun or hear classmates talking about a firearm, tell a teacher. Even if you worry your friends will get mad, telling a teacher could help prevent a serious or even deadly injury.</p>
<p>Parents who are responsible gun owners will teach their children about gun safety and how to handle and shoot them safely. But if you’re a school-age kid, you should never handle a gun by yourself.</p>
<p>Playing with or handling guns – real or fake – is dangerous and can be deadly.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.</em></p>
<p><em>And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201070/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frederick Rivara receives funding from NIH. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Prater does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even fake guns can be dangerous if they are mistaken for real ones by the police or other armed adults.Frederick Rivara, Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of WashingtonLaura Prater, Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2007932023-03-16T12:33:43Z2023-03-16T12:33:43Z54% of firearm deaths in the US are from suicide – and easy access to a gun is a key risk factor<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514028/original/file-20230307-18-j1qfg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Suicide deaths involving firearms have increased over last decade.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/old-semi-automatic-hand-gun-royalty-free-image/1249406015">Josiah S/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514546/original/file-20230309-20-2qyuqj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p>More than half – 54% – of all firearm deaths in the United States in 2021 were attributable to suicide, according to <a href="http://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-expanded.html">February 2023 data</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. </p>
<p>Suicide deaths involving firearms – the <a href="http://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-expanded.html">most common means of suicide</a> in the U.S. – have increased 28% since 2012. Groups particularly at risk <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/258916/number-of-firearm-suicide-deaths-in-the-united-states-by-gender/">include men</a> <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/data.asp">and veterans</a>, who are more likely to have access to and experience with firearms. Research also suggests that alcohol use is a significant risk factor for gun-related suicides, as opposed to suicides involving less lethal means. This is particularly true for <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2012-04031710.1136/injuryprev-2012-040317">young adults and middle-aged people</a>.</p>
<p>Access to firearms is a <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.7326/M13-1301">key risk factor for suicide</a> due to their high lethality. Suicide attempts that involve firearms end in death <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.7326/M19-1324">90% of the time</a>. Suicide is often an impulsive act, and when a person has access to swift and lethal means such as a firearm, there is limited opportunity to intervene or allow for a suicidal impulse to pass. </p>
<p>It is a common myth that once a person has made up their mind to die by suicide it is not possible to prevent them from doing so. In fact, most individuals who survive an attempt <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.181.3.193">do not attempt suicide again</a>, and those who survive an initial attempt using one method are <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199112053252305">unlikely to switch</a> <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12091256">to a different method</a>.</p>
<p>These findings underscore the importance of <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031811-124636">restriction of access to firearms</a> as a <a href="https://afsp.org/extreme-risk-protection-orders#what-the-research-shows">critical suicide prevention strategy</a>. </p>
<p>Research indicates that storing a firearm safely <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2003.017343">reduces the risk</a> of the owner – as well as others, including any <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1078">children living in the home</a> – dying by suicide. </p>
<p><a href="https://project2025.afsp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Toolkit_Safe_Firearm_Storage_CLEARED_508_2-24-20.pdf">Firearm safety measures</a> include gun safes, lockboxes, storing firearms separate from ammunition, and either <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305545">voluntarily</a> or involuntarily removing firearms from the home when a person has a mental health condition or other warning signs for suicide risk.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/red-flag-laws-saved-7-300-americans-from-gun-deaths-in-2020-alone-and-could-have-saved-11-400-more-185009">Nineteen states</a> – <a href="https://casetext.com/statute/california-codes/penal-code-pen/part-6-control-of-deadly-weapons-16000-34370/title-2-weapons-generally-17500-19405/division-32-gun-violence-restraining-orders-18100-18205">California</a>, <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/2018/title-29/chapter-529/section-29-38c/">Connecticut</a>, <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2018/790.401">Florida</a> and <a href="https://mdcourts.gov/district/ERPO">Maryland</a> among them – as well as the <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/public-safety/dcs-red-flag-law-removing-guns-potentially">District of Columbia</a> have enacted so-called <a href="https://theconversation.com/red-flag-laws-saved-7-300-americans-from-gun-deaths-in-2020-alone-and-could-have-saved-11-400-more-185009">red flag laws</a>. These allow law enforcement, family members and sometimes school administrators or health care professionals to petition the court to remove a firearm from the home of a person at risk of harming themselves or others.</p>
<p>In addition to these measures, policymakers and care providers can address other risk factors for suicide as part of a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy. This includes <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30285348/">screening and identifying</a> people who are at high risk, treating underlying mental health conditions, improving <a href="https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/essays/mental-health-access-and-suicide.html">access to mental health care</a> and encouraging <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/factors/index.html">stronger family and community connections</a>. Prevention priorities also include reducing <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/factors/index.html">risk factors</a> such as exposure to violence, financial strain and chronic illness.</p>
<p>Another strategy is training friends, teachers, clergy, coaches and other community members in assessing suicide risk and referring individuals to resources. This <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2018.1509749">has been shown</a> to increase both the likelihood that a trained helper offers needed assistance, as well as the likelihood that the person who is suffering seeks help.</p>
<p><em>If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to speak with a trained listener. Veterans can press 1 after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. Or, text HELLO to 741741. Both services are free, available 24/7, and confidential.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200793/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heidi Zinzow receives funding from the National Science Foundation and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She has previously received funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and National Institutes for Health.</span></em></p>Keeping weapons locked away and unloaded reduces the risk of death by suicide for gun owners and their children.Heidi Zinzow, Professor of Psychology, Clemson UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1973922023-01-08T17:56:08Z2023-01-08T17:56:08ZFirst grader who shot teacher in Virginia is among the youngest school shooters in US history<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503494/original/file-20230108-19-ebm248.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C12%2C2733%2C1822&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A school sign wishing students a Happy New Year stands outside Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 7, 2023, in Newport News, Virginia, where a 6-year-old boy reportedly shot his teacher after an altercation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/police-tape-hangs-from-a-sign-post-outside-richneck-news-photo/1246066061?phrase=newport+news+shooting&adppopup=true">Jay Paul / Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Barely a week into the new year, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/us/newport-news-school-shooting-virginia.html">6-year-old boy shot his teacher</a> at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, becoming one of the youngest school shooters in the nation’s history. While <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/us/virginia-shooting-richneck-elementary.html">details of the case are still emerging</a>, his teacher remains hospitalized with serious injuries. David Riedman, creator of the <a href="https://k12ssdb.org/">K-12 School Shooting Database</a>, discusses the relative rarity of school shooters under age 10 and the likely aftermath of the event.</em></p>
<h2>How rare is it to have a school shooter this young?</h2>
<p>This is the 17th shooting involving a student under the age of 10 at a school since 1970 – the first year for which my database keeps track. Most of these shootings were not intentional. But in 1975, a 9-year-old student at the Pitcher School in Detroit was in a fight with a 13-year-old, left campus, got a rifle from his house and came back to the school and shot the student in the head, killing him. </p>
<p>In 2000, a <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/02/first-grader-kayla-rolland-was-fatally-shot-at-school-20-years-ago-heres-how-it-happened.html">6-year-old boy fatally shot his 6-year-old classmate, Kayla Rolland</a>, in their classroom at Buell Elementary School in Michigan while their teacher lined up other students in the hallway. The shooting <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=rUsqghKKBfsC&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=kayla+rolland+playground+fight&source=bl&ots=S6A2xBTk5G&sig=ACfU3U2dIuDHD1ukKTBNTWXfPRo0OzSrSQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiipOfp27X8AhW1lGoFHc-gDwM4ChDoAXoECAMQAw#v=onepage&q=kayla%20rolland%20playground%20fight&f=falseon">followed a dispute on the playground</a>.</p>
<h2>How do kids this young typically get guns?</h2>
<p>In most school shootings, the gun is taken from the student’s home or from the house of a friend or relative. In the 2000 shooting at Buell Elementary, the student’s uncle pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4d184e6ebb0d5859636d05963c2daba">sentenced to prison for a minimum of two years</a> for leaving a firearm in an easily accessible place. </p>
<p>The 6-year-old shooter did not face charges due to his age.</p>
<h2>What stands out about this recent case?</h2>
<p>The most striking part of this shooting is that it appears to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/06/virginia-school-student-shot-teacher">intentional</a>. While many details remain unknown, it is likely that the student had the gun with him the entire day, possibly multiple days, before shooting his teacher. In many states, the legal system assumes that young children are not capable of the thought and planning that goes into committing a violent crime. In Virginia, the <a href="https://virginiarules.org/varules_topics/introduction-to-juvenile-justice-in-virginia/">minimum age</a> to charge someone with a felony is 14 years old.</p>
<h2>Do schools need to start searching first graders?</h2>
<p>Despite the attention that they generated, school shootings at any age are relatively rare. There have been 17 shootings involving kids under 10 publicly reported across a 52-year period. <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=55">More than 50 million students</a> attend schools every year, and fewer than 300 of them shoot someone on campus.</p>
<p>When most guns that end up in schools come from the home, I’d argue it is the responsibility of parents, relatives and older siblings to make sure that every firearm is locked, secured and accounted for.</p>
<p>The use of metal detectors has been shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124510380717">increase students’ anxiety</a> and are only effective with constant maintenance, training, staffing and screening procedures. Some of the incidents involving children have resulted from adults putting a firearm in the kid’s bag and the child firing it when they find the gun at school. </p>
<h2>What’s next for this boy?</h2>
<p>This remains unclear, and due to juvenile privacy laws, we may never know. The 6-year-old who killed his classmate at Buell Elementary in 2000 was not charged with a crime. In 2021 in Rigby, Idaho, a 12-year-old girl shot three people during a planned attack at Rigby Middle School. Based on her written plan, this young girl intended to <a href="https://localnews8.com/news/top-stories/2022/04/07/documents-shed-light-on-rigby-middle-school-shooting/">kill 20 students and wound 40 to 60 others</a>. She is <a href="https://www.idahoednews.org/news/rigby-school-shooter-still-in-state-custody/">being held in juvenile custody</a> until she turns 19 – and possibly until age 21 if she is not deemed fully rehabilitated – following a guilty plea to three counts of first-degree murder.</p>
<h2>What’s next for the school?</h2>
<p>While much attention is focused on the shooter and teacher, a classroom full of first graders witnessed their classmate shoot the teacher. She was <a href="https://www.wsaz.com/video/2023/01/07/teacher-critical-after-newport-news-school-shooting/">critically injured</a>, which means that it was likely a gruesome scene. These students will all need extensive counseling to understand and deal with this trauma. For the other students, teachers and parents, this is also a traumatic experience, and many students may no longer want to go to school. </p>
<h2>What does this case suggest for school safety in the US broadly?</h2>
<p>There were 302 shootings in school property in 2022, more than in any other year since 1970. Since 2017, the number of shootings each year has significantly increased. This pattern matches the <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-recent-rise-in-violent-crime-is-driven-by-gun-violence/">spiking rates of violent crime and gun crime</a> across the country. It is important to remember that most shootings at schools are committed by current or former students, not outsiders breaking into the building. Because of this, school security plans need to include all levels of schools and shootings by all ages of students.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197392/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Riedman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Extremely young school shooters are not believed to be capable of forming criminal intent.David Riedman, Ph.D. student in Criminal Justice and Creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, University of Central FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950622022-11-21T21:28:17Z2022-11-21T21:28:17ZRed flag laws and the Colorado LGBTQ club shooting – questions over whether state’s protection order could have prevented tragedy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496558/original/file-20221121-14-tvq6qg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C175%2C7340%2C5165&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Flowers at a memorial near Club Q </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-leaves-flowers-and-other-items-at-a-memorial-near-news-photo/1443134730?phrase=colorado%20shooting&adppopup=true">RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The killing of five patrons <a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-colorado-springs-e098d88261db6bcfc0774434abbb7a8f">in a Colorado LGBTQ bar on Nov. 19, 2022</a>, is the latest mass shooting to garner headlines in the U.S.</em></p>
<p><em>Police have said they have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/colorado-springs-police-probe-motive-lgbtq-nightclub-shooting-2022-11-21/">yet to determine a motive</a>. But one thing that has emerged is that the suspect had a history of violent plans, having <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/21/1138197437/colorado-springs-shooting-suspect-red-flag-gun-law">allegedly threatened to attack his mother with a homemade bomb</a> more than a year before the attack at Club Q.</em></p>
<p><em>It has led to questions over why that earlier alleged incident did not trigger <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1177">Colorado’s “red flag” law</a> – something that may have prevented him from acquiring the AR-15-style semi-automatic weapon that police say was used in the Club Q attack. The Conversation asked Alex McCourt, an <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/3794/alexander-mccourt">expert on gun laws at Johns Hopkins University</a>, to explain how red flag laws are supposed to work – and why they weren’t triggered in this case.</em></p>
<h2>What are red flag laws?</h2>
<p>Red flag laws – also know as <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-violence-prevention-and-policy/research/extreme-risk-protection-orders/">extreme risk protection orders</a> – allow for judges to make a ruling that results in firearms being taken away temporarily from a person who is deemed to be at high risk of harming themselves or others. They also prevent that person from purchasing guns for a set period of time.</p>
<p>They are aimed at protecting against the actions of individuals who have made violent threats or may be going through some sort of crisis.</p>
<p>The way they work is that specific people can petition a court to issue an order when someone is deemed to be behaving dangerously or making violent threats.</p>
<p>The categories of individuals who can petition in this way vary from state to state. But all the states that have enacted such laws – <a href="https://theconversation.com/red-flag-laws-saved-7-300-americans-from-gun-deaths-in-2020-alone-and-could-have-saved-11-400-more-185009">19 plus the District of Columbia</a> – include law enforcement officers among those who can petition the court to have a red flag order imposed.</p>
<p>Household and family members are also commonly listed. And in <a href="https://health.maryland.gov/bha/suicideprevention/Documents/ERPO_Brochure%20PRINT%20Version.pdf">Maryland</a>, <a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/06/17/hawaiis-red-flag-law-how-file-gun-violence-protective-order/">Hawaii</a> and the <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/public-safety/dcs-red-flag-law-removing-guns-potentially">District of Columbia</a>, health care officials can petition the court should they be concerned over the behavior of a patient. In California, Hawaii and New York, <a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/let-school-officials-seek-gun-limits-for-potentially-violent-students-feds-suggest/2021/06">teachers or school administrators are included</a> in the list of people who can petition the court.</p>
<p>Typically, if the court finds there is sufficient evidence of risk of violence, a judge will issues an ex parte – or temporary – order. These cover a very short period until a hearing can take place. At that subsequent hearing the potential subject of the order can provide an argument that they aren’t dangerous.</p>
<p>If the court decides there is indeed a risk, it will deliver a longer-term order. In most cases it covers a period of up to a year. The subject of the gun ban may be able to petition for the order to be ended early, should they be able to prove, for example, that their moment of mental crisis is over or that they have sought sufficient treatment. The petitioner can also ask for the order to be renewed at the end of the year.</p>
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<h2>Does research show that red flag laws work?</h2>
<p>The first thing to note is that the laws are relatively new – most have come in over the past decade. So researchers are still evaluating the data. But studies have shown that they can be effective in preventing mass shooting events and possibly suicides.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31426088/">Research from 2019</a> found that, among a group of cases in which guns were removed from individuals who made threats of mass shootings in California, none of the individuals went on to carry out mass shootings. A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36265579/">2022 study</a> evaluated extreme risk protection orders in six states. It found that all the states being observed were issuing orders on the basis of mass shooting threats – 20% of these cases involved threats toward schools and 15% toward intimate partners or family members.</p>
<p>Though these laws are relatively new, <a href="https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=4830&context=lcp">research</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30988021/">analyzing</a> the legislation suggests that they may help prevent suicide.</p>
<p>So there is enough evidence to say they can be used to prevent deaths. But these measures are so new, we need to know more about how well they are being implemented by states. So far, research suggests that public awareness of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35977171/">extreme risk protection orders is low</a> and that efforts to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36099263/">educate the public and facilitate filing of petitions might</a> help.</p>
<h2>How well are red flag laws implemented across states?</h2>
<p>Connecticut and Indiana both had early versions of red flags laws, in place in 1999 and 2006 respectively, but the policy was really developed after the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting">Sandy Hook shooting of 2012</a>. Since that incident – in which 20 children and six adults were killed by a gunman – a further 17 states and Washington, D.C., have added extreme risk protection orders to their statutes. Most have come in since the Parkland school shooting of 2018.</p>
<p>One of the areas in which more research is needed is on implementation of red flag laws. There appears to be wide variation – both state by state, but also within states that have laws in place. </p>
<p>Spotty implementation might be the result of a combination of factors. As they are quite new, there is a knowledge gap – that is, would-be petitioners might not know that a red flag order is an option, or how to go about filing for an order.</p>
<p>But it is also true that there has been a fair amount of <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/red-flag-laws-get-little-use-even-as-mass-shootings-gun-deaths-soar">pushback</a> from certain counties and sheriffs who have said that they won’t enforce these laws out of Second Amendment concerns. This appears to be the case more in rural areas. But that has not been systemically studied to date.</p>
<h2>Any chance of a federal red state law?</h2>
<p>There has been some discussion among advocates about trying to <a href="https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/jun/10/ask-politifact-what-are-red-flag-gun-laws-and-do-t/">pass federal legislation</a>. But to date, the main actions taken at the federal level are to make it easier for individual states to adopt red flag laws. The Biden administration has pushed for their adoption, and the Justice Department has issued model legislation that states can use.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Bipartisan-Safer-Communities-Act-SAP-1.pdf">Bipartisan Safer Communities Act</a> passed in June 2022 allows for the distribution of funds to states for crisis intervention programs, including the rollout of extreme risk protection orders.</p>
<h2>What was in place in Colorado?</h2>
<p>Colorado’s <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1177">red flag law</a> was enacted 2019. It allows for law enforcement and family or household members to file a petition to a court. If it is approved, a court can order that an individual’s guns be removed for up to one year.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-021-00353-7">2021 study</a> of the first year of implementation of Colorado’s law found that in 85% of cases it was law enforcement that initiated proceedings, and in 15% of cases it was household or family members that petitioned.</p>
<p>There has been slower uptake in Colorado than in some other states. But there have been some questions over whether that is over the timing of the law – it was implemented just before COVID-19 pandemic began, so for a large chunk of the first year it has been in operation, people were under stay-at-home orders.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the study found there were a significant number of sheriffs and counties that said they would not enforce the law. There is no real legal basis for them to do this; it is more of a symbolic or political stance. But it does have implications for red flag laws, as law enforcement officers may not have the training or inclination to pursue red flag orders.</p>
<h2>Why was it not triggered in this case?</h2>
<p>There hasn’t been an awful lot of detail released on why a red flag order was not imposed on the Colorado shooter. Early reporting suggests that this appears to be a classic example of someone who made a threat, in this case threatening his mother with a homemade bomb – and as such would qualify for an order. But there is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/21/1138197437/colorado-springs-shooting-suspect-red-flag-gun-law">reportedly no public record</a> indicating that law enforcement or any family member acted on that threat and petitioned the court.</p>
<p>Experts can only speculate about why this might be the case. But one point of note is that it occurred in a county where the sheriff has <a href="https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/2019/03/07/sheriff-elder-explains-opposition-to-the-red-flag-bill/">expressed</a> opposition to Colorado’s law and has previously said that his officers <a href="https://www.epcsheriffsoffice.com/red-flag-bill">will not petition</a> for an order except under “exigent circumstances.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195062/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex McCourt receives funding from The Joyce Foundation, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri Foundation for Health, and the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research.</span></em></p>Colorado is one of 19 states that have laws in place to prevent individuals believed to pose a threat from obtaining guns. But a preventive order needs to be petitioned before it can be issued.Alex McCourt, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1929172022-10-27T12:27:11Z2022-10-27T12:27:11ZCrime is on the ballot – and voters are choosing whether prosecutors with reform agendas are the ones who can best bring law, order and justice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491754/original/file-20221025-14-uxa41k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New York police respond to a shooting in Brooklyn in April 2021, amid a rise in shootings that year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/officers-respond-to-the-scene-of-a-shooting-that-left-multiple-people-picture-id1311166076?s=612x612">Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Different approaches to justice are on the ballot in November 2022 in some <a href="https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2022-general-election-cheat-sheet/">public prosecutor and Congressional elections</a> around the country, revealing a deep divide about how differently Americans feel about crime and its consequences. </p>
<p>Many Republican Congressional and prosecutor candidates are focusing their electoral messages on crime, accusing Democrats of being <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/us/politics/republicans-crime-midterms.html">“dangerously liberal”</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/republicans-say-crime-is-on-the-rise-what-is-the-crime-rate-and-what-does-it-mean-192900">amid a seeming rise</a> of crime in some places. </p>
<p>They are also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/us/politics/republicans-crime-midterms.html">saying that</a> policies backed by Democrats <a href="https://www.vera.org/state-of-justice-reform/2019/bail-reform">like bail reform</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/nyregion/nassau-da-kaminsky-donnelly.html">threaten public safety</a>. Bail reform allows people who have been charged with a misdemeanor or a nonviolent felony to remain free pending the outcome of their cases, avoiding the scenario where people are held in jail because they are too poor to pay even modest amounts of bail. </p>
<p>The Republican message likely resonates with some voters. </p>
<p>An October 2022 <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/05/midterm-voters-crime-guns-00060393">Politico poll</a> showed that voters rank crime as a top area of concern, trailing only the economy and abortion. </p>
<p>Democrats, meanwhile, have responded by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/23/congress-bipartisan-gun-package-00041701">supporting gun safety proposals</a> and pointing to House of Representative bills that they supported and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/us/politics/house-passes-police-funding-bills.html">passed in September 2022</a>, giving more money to local police departments. In other cases, Democrat candidates have largely avoided the topic of crime altogether, and instead have kept their focus on other <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/03/democrats-congress-house-majority-abortion-00059929">key issues like abortion.</a> </p>
<p>Against this backdrop, some local prosecutors running for election are arguing that public safety and new ways of thinking about incarceration can go hand in hand. </p>
<p>As a scholar who <a href="https://jessicahenryjustice.com/">writes</a> and <a href="https://www.montclair.edu/profilepages/view_profile.php?username=henryj">teaches</a> about criminal justice and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-but-No-Fire-Convicting/dp/0520300645">wrongful convictions</a>, I know that top prosecutors have tremendous power when deciding how justice is meted out – what crimes to charge, which people to bring charges against, and how cases are prosecuted. </p>
<p>How they choose to wield that control has significant consequences for poor people, communities of color, victims of crimes and society at large. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Latino middle aged man wearing a blue suit stands in a modern looking room, with big glass windows, and looks to his left, with his hands in his pockets." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491758/original/file-20221025-11-f0xhgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jose Garza, district attorney of Travis County, Texas, is one of the progressive prosecutors elected in recent years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/district-attorney-jose-garza-in-austin-tx-on-thursday-november-18-picture-id1240972549?s=612x612">Spencer Selvidge for The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A new way of thinking about justice</h2>
<p>Public prosecutors are government officials who are tasked with investigating and prosecuting crimes. They operate at different levels of government, ranging from state attorneys general – the highest law enforcement officer in state government – to county attorneys. </p>
<p>Prosecutors have <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-02/once-tough-on-crime-prosecutors-now-push-progressive-reforms">traditionally positioned themselves</a> as tough on crime, and measure their success by the number and severity of convictions they oversee. </p>
<p>But after the Black Lives Matter movement intensified around 2016, nontraditional candidates, sometimes called <a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/records/8469-progressive-prosecutors">progressive prosecutors</a>, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Progressive-DAs-form-new-alliance-to-combat-15569007.php">began running</a> in local elections – and winning office. This followed growing public awareness about law enforcement’s treatment of people of color, and their <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/30/shrinking-gap-between-number-of-blacks-and-whites-in-prison/">disproportionate representation</a> in prisons. </p>
<p>There are roughly <a href="https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/prosecutors-and-sheriffs-in-2022/">1,200 public prosecutor races</a> on the ballot in November 2022, including <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Attorney_General_elections,_2022">30 state</a> races for attorney general. </p>
<p><a href="https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/2022-general-election-cheat-sheet/">Only 20 or so contested races</a> now involve prosecutors with notable reform agendas – though other reform-oriented local prosecutors <a href="https://boltsmag.org/shelby-county-ousts-da-and-judge-mulroy-weirich-sugarmon-michael/">were elected</a> <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2022/08/09/sarah-george-wins-democratic-primary-for-chittenden-county-states-attorney-fending-off-police-backed-challenger/">earlier in 2022</a> and still others are not up for reelection this term. </p>
<p>Many of these <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e319ff2fd340d698bc16f1e/t/615cba23c3925a713bd80264/1633466937856/Report_21st_century_prosecutor.pdf">change-oriented prosecutors</a> say they want to incarcerate fewer people. </p>
<p>Many of them have also pledged not to prosecute low-level misdemeanor offenses, like drug possession or trespassing. <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/misdemeanor-system-reinforces-economic-inequality">These kinds of charges disproportionately</a>, and often unnecessarily, affect people of color and the poor, resulting in lasting criminal records.</p>
<p>These prosecutors believe they can change the system from within, improving the overall fairness of the United States’ criminal legal system, while keeping the community safe.</p>
<p>Counties and local districts in Republican-leaning states like <a href="https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-attorney/our-office/meet-the-da">Texas</a>, <a href="https://www.wycokck.org/Government/Elected-Officials/District-Attorney-Biography">Kansas</a> and <a href="https://www.portsmouthcwa.com/">Virginia</a> all elected reform-minded prosecutors over the last few years. In the last decade, voters in major cities <a href="https://www.chicagoappleseed.org/2022/09/16/report-progressive-prosecutor-promises/">like Chicago</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/10/5/23384868/philadelphia-progressive-prosecutor-midterms-larry-krasner-impeachment-pennsylvania">and Philadelphia</a> also elected prosecutors with new visions for justice. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A white door says 'Ring bell for bail bonds,' in red font." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491757/original/file-20221025-15802-6ysc7q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sign in Los Angeles advertises bail bonds in 2019, when California became the first state to abolish bail in most cases for suspects who cannot afford it and are awaiting trial.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/sign-advertises-a-bail-bond-company-on-august-29-2018-in-los-angeles-picture-id1025093174?s=612x612">Mario Tama/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>An uneven reception</h2>
<p>Aside from not seeking <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-02/once-tough-on-crime-prosecutors-now-push-progressive-reforms">cash bail</a> for most low-level cases, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/10/5/23384868/philadelphia-progressive-prosecutor-midterms-larry-krasner-impeachment-pennsylvania">some progressive prosecutors</a> have also stopped prosecuting marijuana possession and most prostitution cases against sex workers. </p>
<p>This new style of prosecutor, however, has also <a href="https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/progressive-prosecutor-pushback">experienced backlash</a> at the polls. Critics argue that progressive prosecutors are bad for public safety, suggesting that <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/why-homicide-rates-spiked-30-during-the-pandemic-/6420391.html">rises in crime</a> since the pandemic are partially because of their reform policies. </p>
<p>But a 2021 study found “<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3952764">no significant effects of these reforms on local crime rates</a>.” </p>
<p>One of the authors of that study argues that <a href="https://time.com/6045637/not-prosecuting-misdemeanors-reduce-crime/">refusing to prosecute nonviolent misdemeanor offenses</a> may actually reduce crime. Not prosecuting certain crimes can help people avoid a criminal record, which, in turn, can help them find stable housing and work. </p>
<p>Another October 2022 <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/gjl/violent-crime-and-public-prosecution-report/">study found</a> found no connection between progressive crime policies and increased homicide rates, either during the pandemic or before 2022.</p>
<p>Yet, despite the complexity of crime data, attacks on reformist prosecutors have gained momentum. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/us/politics/chesa-boudin-recall-san-francisco.html">Chesa Boudin</a>, a former public defender who was first elected San Francisco’s top prosecutor in 2020,, lost his position in a 2022 recall election amid criticism that his policies led to <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/san-francisco-crime-rates-17487348.php">a spike in crime</a>.</p>
<p>In July 2022, <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-07-22/baltimore-prosecutor-marilyn-mosby-defeated-in-primary">Marilyn Mosby</a> lost her bid to retain her Baltimore prosecutor post in the Maryland Democratic primary. And Manhattan District Attorney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ID4v_NheKo">Alvin Bragg</a> continues to face criticism because of his support for bail reform in New York, where he led the effort that <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/24/new-york-democrats-bail-reform-00052207">banned cash bail</a> in most cases in 2019.</p>
<p>These prosecutors have been accused of releasing alleged criminal offenders from jail before a trial – who then <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/2/21/22944871/new-york-bail-reform-controversy-eric-adams">go on to commit</a> new crimes.</p>
<p>Yet, while there are people who committed crimes after being released from pretrial detention, <a href="https://review.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/02/69-Stan-L-Rev-711.pdf">research shows</a> that, in practice, reducing the use of cash bail has little to no effect on the percentage of people rearrested for criminal behavior. </p>
<h2>Common ground</h2>
<p><a href="http://gppreview.com/2021/03/03/public-opinion-death-penalty-republicans-democrats-agree-disagree/">Research also</a> shows that people of both major political parties are concerned about wrongful convictions, which are estimated to constitute about <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1306417111">4% of all convictions</a>.</p>
<p>I believe change-oriented prosecutors make a difference in wrongful conviction cases. There are approximately <a href="https://bjs.ojp.gov/?tid=27&ty=tp">2,300 prosecutor offices</a> in the country, and only around 100 <a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/Conviction-Integrity-Units.aspx">Conviction Integrity Units</a> specifically devoted to re-investigating cases for potential errors. </p>
<p>Yet, nearly <a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/Race%20Report%20Preview.pdf">one out of three exonerations between 2015 and 2022</a> were obtained with the help of a Conviction Integrity Unit. In these cases, prosecutors looked retrospectively at convictions their offices had obtained and then worked to reverse false convictions. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/Conviction-Integrity-Units.aspx">effectiveness of these special units varies dramatically</a>, often reflecting the head prosecutor’s commitment to righting past wrongs.</p>
<p>When a prosecutor is willing to say that they made a mistake, that’s one step toward creating a more fair and legitimate system for all.</p>
<p>It also helps to free the innocent. </p>
<p>Recently, Adnan Syed, subject of the popular <a href="https://serialpodcast.org/">Serial podcast</a>, was freed after decades in prison for a 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/10/11/adnan-syed-charges-dropped-serial-podcast/10465862002/">that prosecutors now say he did not commit</a>. A <a href="https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/progressive-prosecutors-make-a-difference-for-the-innocent-db3a523f6dc8">reform-minded prosecutor in Baltimore County</a> helped lead a new investigation that found a lack of DNA evidence pinning Syed to the murder, leading to his release. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman in a blue pant suit and white shirt stands at a podium outside, facing a row of microphones at what appears to be a press conference." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491755/original/file-20221025-20-wr5xli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Erica Suter, director of the Innocence Project and Adnan Syed’s attorney, speaks on Sept. 19, 2022, when Syed’s murder conviction was overturned.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/erica-suter-dierctor-of-the-innocence-project-clinic-at-the-of-of-picture-id1243370842?s=612x612">Charlotte Plantive/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Different ways forward</h2>
<p>Crime has been an effective platform for Republican candidates in the past, and they have placed it <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/11/politics/crime-republican-messaging">front and center</a> in the final weeks leading up to the midterm elections in 2022. While many Democratic district attorneys and attorneys general take a more traditional approach to crime in their election campaigns, others promise a new approach to crime and justice. </p>
<p>Voters across the country are being presented with different visions of how to maintain public safety. Contested prosecutor elections are a referendum on those competing visions of justice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192917/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica S. Henry does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new wave of prosecutors, known as progressives, say that public safety can exist with policies like eliminating cash bail for people charged with low-level offenses.Jessica S. Henry, Associate Professor, Department of Justice Studies, Montclair State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1877442022-08-17T12:38:26Z2022-08-17T12:38:26ZHow easy access to guns at home contributes to America’s youth suicide problem<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479472/original/file-20220816-8518-8ptg2w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C3860%2C2590&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Easy access to firearms increases the risk of teen suicide.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.no/detail/photo/kids-and-guns-royalty-free-image/157647475?adppopup=true">CowlickCreative/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>School shootings in the U.S. <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-know-about-mass-school-shootings-in-the-us-and-the-gunmen-who-carry-them-out-183812">are national tragedies</a>, and the toll they take in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/28/1101307932/texas-shooting-uvalde-gun-violence-children-teenagers?t=1660229579095">lives cut short</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-lasting-consequences-of-school-shootings-on-the-students-who-survive-them-183906">and traumatized</a> distinguishes the U.S. from other high-income countries. But there is another way that guns are killing American children, and in far greater numbers: suicide.</p>
<p>Between 2011 and 2020, the most recent decade for which data is available, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/">14,763 children ages 5-17 died by suicide</a> in the U.S. – a rate of approximately four deaths every day. Over <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/">40% of these suicides</a> involved a firearm. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.153.8.875">great majority</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2010.40.6.609">of guns involved</a> in youth suicides come <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107066">from the victim’s home or the home of a relative</a>.</p>
<p>As scholars who have <a href="https://bouve.northeastern.edu/bchs/directory/matthew-miller/">studied firearm violence</a> and <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/faculty-and-staff/azrael-deborah/">suicide prevention</a>, we know the exceptionally high rate of gun suicides by U.S. youths is directly linked to the easy access many young people have to guns in and around the home.</p>
<p>Suicide rates among children have <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/">trended up over the past decade</a>, as they have for adults. For children ages 5-17, suicides have climbed by around 50%, from 1,129 children in 2011 to 1,679 in 2020. </p>
<p>That equates to a jump in the suicide rate from 2.1 deaths per 100,000 children in America to 3.1 per 100,000. Half of this increase – 0.5 deaths per 100,000 children – was due to suicide by guns.</p>
<p>Although suicides affect all racial and ethnic groups in America, the suicide rate is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars">highest among Native communities</a>, while recent increases have disproportionately hit Asian/Pacific Islanders and Black communities.</p>
<p><iframe id="jAdud" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/jAdud/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Studies show that the risk of death by suicide is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.1993.02160340052013">over four times higher</a> in households with firearms. Consistent with this elevated risk in gun-owning households, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1097/00005373-200202000-00011">studies that compare rates of suicide in different cities</a> and across the 50 states show that in places where there are more guns there are more overall suicide deaths due to there being <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1097/00005373-200202000-00011">more firearm suicides</a>.</p>
<h2>Reducing the risk</h2>
<p>The suicide risk associated with the presence of firearms in homes with children can be reduced, though not eliminated, by storing firearms locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition.</p>
<p>Today, approximately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.48823">40% of U.S. households with children contain firearms</a>. This means that around 30 million children under the age of 18 currently live in a home with at least one firearm, of whom roughly 5 million live in homes where at least one firearm is both loaded and unlocked.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1078">recent simulation study</a> estimated that approximately 100 suicides a year among youths ages 5 to 19 could be prevented if the proportion of unlocked firearms in households with children decreased from 50%, as is approximately the case today, to 40%. </p>
<p>Research also suggests that when clinicians provide counseling to parents that emphasizes the importance of making guns inaccessible to their children, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxv006">substantial minority of parents improve storage</a> by locking previously unloaded guns, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2020.02.007">especially when the counseling is supplemented</a> with free firearm storage devices.</p>
<p>For youths at particularly high risk of suicide who are seen in the emergency department for a mental or behavioral health crisis, training clinicians to counsel parents to reduce access to firearms – often referred to as “lethal means counseling” – can result in a substantial <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32307124/">increase in the proportion of parents spoken to</a> about firearm risk in the emergency department and, critically, in the proportion of parents who lock previously unloaded guns after returning home. </p>
<p>Storing guns unloaded and locked up does not necessarily, or in itself, prevent children’s access to firearms.</p>
<p>The evidence that a firearm in a child’s home substantially increases that child’s risk of death by suicide is overwhelming. Locking and unloading all household firearms and storing firearms separately from ammunition substantially mitigates, but does not eliminate, this risk.</p>
<p>In a recent nationally representative study of parents and their adolescent children, all of whom lived in a home with firearms, more than one-third of adolescents reported being able to independently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.0989">access a loaded household firearm in less than 5 minutes</a> – and 50% within an hour. Although this proportion was lower in homes where parents locked away all their guns, even here one-quarter of children said they were able to access and fire a loaded gun within 5 minutes. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, 3 in 10 parents acknowledged that their child could independently access a household firearm, suggesting that many either do not fully appreciate the risk access to firearms confers or do not believe that the risk pertains to their children. Moreover, nearly 1 in 4 children whose parents indicated that their child could not independently access a household gun reported being able to access and fire a gun in their home within 5 minutes. </p>
<p>We believe that rigorously evaluating how to effectively communicate the importance of making household firearms inaccessible to children is an urgently needed next step if we are to prevent the loss of so many young lives year after year to suicide.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187744/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Miller receives funding from the Joyce Foundation, the National Collaborative of Gun Violence Research, The National Institutes of Health, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Azrael receives funding from the Joyce Foundation, the National Collaborative of Gun Violence Research, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.</span></em></p>Youth suicides in the US have increased by around 50% over the past decade – gun availability is a big part of that trend.Matthew Miller, Professor of Health Sciences and Epidemiology, Northeastern UniversityDeborah Azrael, Director of Research, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1842342022-06-08T12:33:51Z2022-06-08T12:33:51ZUS tragedies from guns have often – but not always – spurred political responses<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466819/original/file-20220602-24-57wa2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=365%2C88%2C8040%2C5003&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ade Osadolor-Hernandez of Students Demand Action speaks at a rally outside the U.S. Capitol in May 2022.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/ade-osadolor-hernandez-of-students-demand-action-conducts-a-news-photo/1240934644?adppopup=true">Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The nationwide <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/31/texas-gun-control-laws-action-uvalde-school-shooting">call for stronger gun laws</a> in the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/06/02/remarks-by-president-biden-on-gun-violence-in-america/">aftermath of mass shootings</a> in Buffalo, Uvalde and the over 200 other places where <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/06/02/mass-shootings-in-2022/">such tragedies took place</a> so far in 2022 is understandable.</p>
<p>It’s also predictable. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/shootings-new-york-gun-politics-judiciary-violence-18868cbb3652c9e1e92087bc5b7997d2">Whether efforts</a> to pass <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-mass-shootings-like-uvalde-national-gun-control-fails-but-states-often-loosen-gun-laws-183879">new federal or state laws</a> to <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-are-historical-and-psychological-reasons-why-the-legal-age-for-purchasing-assault-weapons-does-not-make-sense-184208">raise the minimum age</a> for buying semiautomatic rifles, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/05/senators-say-gun-deal-is-within-reach-without-bidens-wish-list/">expand background checks</a> and similar measures succeed or fail this time, they will follow a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/02/19/566731477/chart-how-have-your-members-of-congress-voted-on-gun-bills">pattern in American politics</a> that traces back more than a century. </p>
<p>As I explain in my book “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Politics-of-Gun-Control/Spitzer/p/book/9780367502843">The Politics of Gun Control</a>,” efforts to restrict and regulate firearms have followed the assassination of political leaders, crime waves and mass shootings since before World War I.</p>
<h2>A spate of shootings in 1910-1911</h2>
<p>In 1910, <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-assassins-bullet-took-three-years-to-kill-nyc-mayor-william-jay-gaynor-5707937/">New York City Mayor William J. Gaynor</a> boarded the steamship Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, moored at the dock in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was embarking on a monthlong European vacation.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An elegant gentleman staggers after being shot" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=942&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=942&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467261/original/file-20220606-14-hbw85e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=942&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New York City mayor William Gaynor was shot by an assassin in 1910.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_Mayor_William_J._Gaynor_Moments_After_the_Assassination_Attempt.jpg">William Warnecke</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The trip was interrupted when a <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/story-william-gaynor-nyc-mayor-gunned-article-1.802037">disgruntled former city employee shot him</a> in the neck with a concealed pistol. Gaynor, seriously wounded in the assassination attempt, died in 1913.</p>
<p>The incident heightened already growing calls for a new handgun law in New York state amid <a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/crime-was-rampant-and-routine-in-19th-century-new-york-city/article_bee1c130-9005-5c8e-9443-a3188c1bb889.html">rising gun violence</a>, especially in New York City.</p>
<p>In 1911, the noted novelist <a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/24/issue.html">David Graham Phillips was shot</a> in Manhattan <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gun-America-National-Contributions-American/dp/0837175305">by a man who turned his gun on himself</a>. Both died.</p>
<p>With the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1911/01/30/archives/revolver-killings-fast-increasing-legislative-measure-to-be-urged.html">city coroner’s office reporting a sharp</a> increase in gun homicides, New York state lawmakers responded by enacting a law requiring permits to buy, own and carry handguns. Other states enacted similar pistol permit laws.</p>
<p>The U.S. <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2021/20-843">Supreme Court ruled on June 23, 2022</a>, that the 1911 measure <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-843_7j80.pdf">violated the Second Amendment</a> – striking down <a href="https://theconversation.com/first-major-second-amendment-case-before-the-supreme-court-in-over-a-decade-could-topple-gun-restrictions-166703">strict limits on who can carry guns in New York</a>.</p>
<h2>Prohibition-era tumult</h2>
<p>Gangland violence tied to alcohol trafficking during Prohibition <a href="https://www.history.com/news/prohibition-organized-crime-al-capone">flared throughout the 1920s and early 1930s</a>. This mayhem led to <a href="https://lcp.law.duke.edu/article/gun-law-history-in-the-united-states-and-second-amendment-rights-spitzer-vol80-iss2/">many new laws restricting gun ownership</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Photo of infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, with her pointing a gun at him in jest" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=940&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=940&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466812/original/file-20220602-16-5p2hv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=940&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Authorities ambushed and killed the gunslinging outlaws Bonnie and Clyde in 1934.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-outlaw-bonnie-parker-playfully-points-a-shotgun-at-news-photo/514872400">Bettmann/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://lcp.law.duke.edu/article/gun-law-history-in-the-united-states-and-second-amendment-rights-spitzer-vol80-iss2/">Most states banned</a> the fully automatic weapons gangsters favored. At least eight enacted laws <a href="https://lcp.law.duke.edu/article/gun-law-history-in-the-united-states-and-second-amendment-rights-spitzer-vol80-iss2/">restricting or barring semi-automatic firearms</a> too.</p>
<p>In 1933, shortly before his first presidential inauguration, Franklin D. Roosevelt <a href="https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-escapes-assassination-in-miami">narrowly escaped an assassin’s bullet</a>. A year later, Congress passed the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/5845">National Firearms Act of 1934</a>. This <a href="https://law.jrank.org/pages/8725/National-Firearms-Act-1934.html">first significant federal gun law required</a> that those wanting to own the listed weapons be registered with the Treasury Department, fingerprinted and subject to a background check, plus pay a substantial fee to own fully automatic firearms, sawed-off shotguns, silencers and similar weapons.</p>
<p>One month before FDR signed that measure, Texas police gunned down the infamous gangster duo <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde">Bonnie Parker and Clyde Champion Barrow</a>. And the FBI killed <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/john-dillinger">John Dillinger</a>, another notorious outlaw, a month later.</p>
<h2>Assassinations and upheaval in the 1960s</h2>
<p>President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 led Congress to consider new gun measures. <a href="https://time.com/5429002/gun-control-act-history-1968/">Lawmakers held hearings</a>, but those efforts languished until the assassinations of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/americas-faulty-perception-crime-rates">Rising crime rates</a> and unrest in cities like <a href="https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/uprising-1967">Detroit</a>, <a href="http://crdl.usg.edu/events/watts_riots/?Welcome">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/april-2018/what-happened-during-the-west-side-riots-of-april-1968/">Chicago</a> and <a href="https://wamu.org/story/18/04/04/black-white-asian-three-reflections-1968-d-c-riots/">Washington</a> also increased the public’s safety concerns.</p>
<p>Congress responded by passing the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/opd/AppendixC.htm">Gun Control Act of 1968</a>, which President <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-signing-the-gun-control-act-1968">Lyndon B. Johnson signed</a> into law.</p>
<p>It restricted interstate gun shipment, barred gun sales to minors, felons and people deemed “<a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/opd/AppendixC.htm">mentally defective</a>,” and strengthened licensing and record-keeping, among other measures.</p>
<p>The first modern gun control groups devoted exclusively to advocating for stronger regulations arose in the 1970s. Chief among them were <a href="https://www.bradyunited.org/history">Handgun Control, Inc.</a> and the <a href="https://www.csgv.org/about-us/">National Coalition to Ban Handguns</a>, later renamed the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Both were formed in 1974.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="In the foreground, a balding white man signs a document. A group of middle-aged men in suits stand in the background, looking on." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467275/original/file-20220606-12-9z8rjl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a major gun control law after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King Jr.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/LBJSignsGunControlBill/4a62ee226358467a9cf32e7e2a899413/photo?Query=lbj%20signs%20gun%20control&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=2&currentItemNo=0">AP Photo</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Aftermath of Reagan assassination attempt</h2>
<p>The foiled 1981 assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan left James Brady, his press secretary, disabled. Brady and his wife, Sarah, joined <a href="https://www.nndb.com/org/834/000115489/">Handgun Control, Inc.</a>, an advocacy group later renamed the <a href="https://www.bradyunited.org/history">Brady Campaign</a>. Their organization spearheaded the successful effort to enact a new federal law named after Brady <a href="https://vpc.org/publications/closing-the-gun-show-loophole/">requiring background checks</a> before most purchases of new guns.</p>
<p>In 1989, a man using an AK-47 assault rifle <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-20/stockton-school-shooting-atlanta">shot and killed</a> five children and wounded 29 others at an elementary school in Stockton, California. That same year, California became the first state to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-20/stockton-school-shooting-atlanta">ban semi-automatic assault weapons</a> – military-style weapons designed to fire a round with each pull of the trigger. </p>
<p>After a multi-year effort, Congress finally enacted a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/understanding-1994-assault-weapons-ban-ended/story?id=65546858">10-year federal ban on assault weapons in 1994</a>. The law also limited ammunition magazines to those holding no more than 10 rounds – excluding those previously manufactured.</p>
<p>The law expired in 2004, after which <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750656174/the-u-s-once-had-a-ban-on-assault-weapons-why-did-it-expire">mass shootings became more frequent</a>, with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/24/bidens-claim-that-1994-assault-weapons-law-brought-down-mass-shootings/">assault weapons increasingly used by mass shooters</a>. Repeated <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750656174/the-u-s-once-had-a-ban-on-assault-weapons-why-did-it-expire">efforts to renew the ban have failed</a>.</p>
<p>The gun control movement pressed to further strengthen gun regulations. Those efforts culminated in the passage of the <a href="https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/brady-law">Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act in 1993</a>, which <a href="https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/brady-law">amended the 1968 gun-control law</a> by establishing a national system of background checks and a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases.</p>
<p>The law called for eliminating that waiting period in 1998, replacing it with an instant background check system. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An older couple shakes hands with a man in a wheelchair and a woman in a white dress." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467289/original/file-20220606-22-zoz71p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, in red, greet his former press secretary James Brady and his wife, Sarah Brady, two prominent gun-control advocates.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/RonaldReaganandSarahBrady/4719895bcf3c417c9c01999d0cae334d/photo?Query=James%20brady%20gun&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=58&currentItemNo=53">AP Photo/Bob Daugherty</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Congress balks</h2>
<p>In the aftermath of the April 1999 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/list-of-deadliest-us-school-shootings-f25dad31e68c8acbdbcb952352df9249">Columbine High School</a> shooting, where two heavily armed students killed 12 of their peers and one teacher, and wounded 23 others in Littleton, Colorado, Congress considered several new gun measures.</p>
<p>The Senate narrowly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/21/us/guns-schools-legislation-senate-votes-gun-curbs-hours-after-school-shooting.html">passed a bill</a> in 1999 to establish uniform background checks for all gun purchases, tougher penalties for juvenile gun offenders and requiring locking devices to be sold with new handgun purchases.</p>
<p>The more conservative House of Representatives defeated a much weaker gun bill due to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/19/us/guns-schools-overview-gun-control-bill-rejected-house-bipartisan-vote.html">opposition from</a> both lawmakers who wanted a stronger bill and others who opposed gun-control legislation of any kind. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-nra-evolved-from-backing-a-1934-ban-on-machine-guns-to-blocking-nearly-all-firearm-restrictions-today-183880">National Rifle Association</a>, formed in 1871 to improve the shooting and marksmanship skills of military-age men, was by this time the primary organization devoted to thwarting gun laws.</p>
<p>The NRA’s heavy lobbying <a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2013-feb-26-la-na-gunshow-loophole-20130226-story.html">contributed to that defeat</a>.</p>
<h2>Bloodshed in Connecticut, Florida and beyond</h2>
<p>The 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six staff members were killed, spurred President Barack Obama and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-texas-government-and-politics-gun-violence-shootings-d3485526acd9a04bcdd5b9186557f4cc">many lawmakers</a> to seek to tighten gun regulations.</p>
<p>The Senate in early 2013 considered measures to ban assault weapons, limit high-capacity ammunition magazines, require more background checks and improve record-keeping. Senators also considered several provisions to ease gun ownership restrictions by scaling back the background check waiting period, easing regulations on interstate weapons transport and handgun sales, and even a provision to make the use of gun records for creating a registry a felony.</p>
<p>All <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/us/politics/senate-obama-gun-control.html">failed in the Senate</a>. The House, likewise, <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R42987">didn’t pass any new gun-related legislation</a></p>
<p>Yet the Sandy Hook shooting mobilized three new nationwide gun groups: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.org/founders-projects/everytown-for-gun-safety/">Everytown for Gun Safety</a>, founded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/01/08/us/giffords-website/index.html">Americans for Responsible Solutions</a>, formed by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who had been seriously wounded in a 2011 mass shooting, and her husband, Mark Kelly, who is now serving in the Senate, and <a href="https://momsdemandaction.org/about/">Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America</a>.</p>
<p>In 2016, the Giffords-Kelly organization combined with another gun safety group to become the Giffords organization. The Moms Demand Action <a href="https://www.everytown.org/press/mayors-against-illegal-guns-and-moms-demand-action-to-join-forces/">became part of Everytown</a> in 2014. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Former Representative and gun violence survivor Gabby Giffords outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467292/original/file-20220606-18-whj93o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former Rep. Gabby Giffords is a leading gun safety advocate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SupremeCourtGuns/417dbfc16d58405c84d7202b26bbb9ed/photo?Query=giffords%20gun&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=483&currentItemNo=44">AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>After Parkland</h2>
<p>In 2018, a disgruntled student entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, armed with with an assault-style weapon. He killed 17 people and wounded 17 more.</p>
<p>Parkland students <a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/10-questions-young-changemakers/how-parkland-students-pulled-massive-national-protest-only-5-weeks">spearheaded</a> their own nationwide gun safety effort under the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2019/02/14/one-year-after-the-parkland-shooting-is-the-neveragain-movement-on-track-to-succeed/">“#NeverAgain”</a> banner. Its “<a href="https://marchforourlives.com/">March For Our lives</a>” demonstrations mobilized thousands of students across the country, as did the organization <a href="https://studentsdemandaction.org/about/">Students Demand Action</a>, which went nationwide in 2018 and is affiliated with Everytown.</p>
<p>That year, 27 states, including Florida, <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/12/14/states-passed-67-new-gun-control-laws-in-2018">enacted over 60 new gun regulations</a>.</p>
<p>Still, Congress failed to act with the exception of passage of the modest <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-releases-first-ever-semiannual-report-fix-nics-act">Fix NICS Act</a>. Passed with bipartisan support in 2018, the law improves data-gathering and reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for those seeking to buy guns. The NRA <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/congress-guns-fix-nics-baby-steps/556250/">didn’t oppose</a> the measure.</p>
<p>As this history attests, predicting the likelihood of congressional action now or in the near future is anyone’s guess.</p>
<p><em>This article was updated on June 23, 2022, to include a Supreme Court ruling.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Spitzer is a member of the National Rifle Association and the Giffords organization.</span></em></p>Congress tends to be most likely to act after an assassination or assassination attempt of historic proportions or mass shootings. But sometimes lawmakers do nothing beyond debate new measures.Robert Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the Political Science Department, State University of New York CortlandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1838962022-05-26T21:16:06Z2022-05-26T21:16:06ZWhy gun control laws don’t pass Congress, despite majority public support and repeated outrage over mass shootings<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465569/original/file-20220526-21-lkanmr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C6%2C4421%2C2947&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The front page of the local newspaper in Uvalde, Texas, on May 26, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-front-page-of-the-local-newspaper-is-seen-in-the-media-news-photo/1240917109?adppopup=true">Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>With the carnage in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York in May 2022, calls have begun again <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/after-uvalde-congress-hears-calls-for-gun-control-legislation-compromise-remains-elusive">for Congress to enact gun control</a>. Since the 2012 massacre of 20 children and four staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, legislation introduced in response to mass killings has consistently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/us/republicans-gun-control.html">failed to pass the Senate</a>. We asked political scientists <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0UmsWdAAAAAJ&hl=en">Monika McDermott</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Jks9RasAAAAJ&hl=en">David Jones</a> to help readers understand why further restrictions never pass, despite a <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/3500861-majority-in-new-poll-favors-stricter-gun-control-measures/">majority of Americans supporting tighter gun control laws</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong>Mass killings are becoming more frequent. Yet there has been no significant gun legislation passed in response to these and other mass shootings. Why?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Monika McDermott:</strong> While there is consistently a majority in favor of restricting gun access a little bit more than the government currently does, usually that’s a slim majority – though that support tends to <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx">spike in the short term</a> after events like the recent mass shootings. </p>
<p>We tend to find even <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/may/25/steve-kerr/polls-consistently-show-high-support-gun-backgroun/">gun owners are in support of restrictions</a> like background checks for all gun sales, including at gun shows. So that’s one that everyone gets behind. The other one that gun-owning households get behind is they don’t mind <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/us/red-flag-laws.html">law enforcement taking guns away</a> from people who have been legally judged to be unstable or dangerous. Those are two restrictions on which you can get virtual unanimous support from the American public. But agreement on specific elements isn’t everything.</p>
<p>This isn’t something that people are clamoring for, and there are so many other things in the mix that people are much more concerned about right now, like the economy. Also, people are insecure about the federal budget deficit, and health care is still a perennial problem in this country. So <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2022/05/25/terror-in-texas-reignites-gun-control-debate-00035024">those kinds of things</a> top gun control legislation in terms of priorities for the public.</p>
<p>So you can’t just think about majority support for legislation; you have to think about priorities. People in office care what the priorities are. If someone’s not going to vote them out because of an issue, then they’re not going to do it.</p>
<p>The other issue is that you have just this different view of the gun situation in <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/10-fear-mass-shooting-gun-laws-poll/story?id=65414785">gun-owning households and non-gun-owning households</a>. Nearly half of the public lives in a household with a gun. And those people tend to be significantly less worried than those in non-gun households that a mass shooting could happen in their community. They’re also unlikely to say that stricter gun laws would reduce the danger of mass shootings. </p>
<p>The people who don’t own guns think the opposite. They think guns are dangerous. They think if we restricted access, then mass shootings would be reduced. So you’ve got this bifurcation in the American public. And that also contributes to why Congress can’t or hasn’t done anything about gun control.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L4OauUiHRsU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut speaks on the Senate floor, asking his colleagues, ‘Why are you here if not to solve a problem as existential as this?’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>How does public opinion relate to what Congress does or doesn’t do?</strong></p>
<p><strong>David Jones:</strong> People would, ideally, like to think that members of Congress are responding to public opinion. I think that is their main consideration when they’re making decisions about how to prioritize issues and how to vote on issues. </p>
<p>But we also have to consider: What is the meaning of a member’s “constituency”? We can talk about their geographic constituency – everyone living in their district, if they’re a House member, or in their state, if they’re a senator. But we could also talk about their electoral constituency, and that is all of the people who contributed the votes that put them into office. </p>
<p>And so if a congressmember’s motive is reelection, they want to hold on to the votes of that electoral constituency. It may be more important to them than representing everyone in their district equally. </p>
<p>In 2020, the most recent congressional election, among citizens who voted for a Republican House member, <a href="https://electionstudies.org/data-center/2020-time-series-study/">only 24% of those voters</a> wanted to make it more difficult to buy a gun.</p>
<p>So if you’re looking at the opinions of your voters versus those of your entire geographic constituency, it’s your voters that matter most to you. And a party primary constituency may be even narrower and even less in favor of gun control. A member may have to run in a party primary first before they even get to the general election. Now what would be the most generous support for gun control right now in the U.S.? <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000180-fe72-d0c2-a9ae-ff7250f80000&nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=00000156-93f5-d63c-a7d6-93ff85830001&nlid=630318">A bit above 60% of Americans</a>. But not every member of Congress has that high a proportion of support for gun control in their district. Local lawmakers are not necessarily focused on national polling numbers. </p>
<p>You could probably get a majority now in the Senate of 50 Democrats plus, say, Susan Collins and some other Republican or two to support some form of gun control. But it wouldn’t pass the Senate. Why <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/106591290105400107">isn’t a majority enough</a> to pass? <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/filibusters-cloture.htm">The Senate filibuster</a> – a tradition allowing a small group of Senators to hold up a final vote on a bill unless a three-fifths majority of Senators vote to stop them.</p>
<p><strong>Monika McDermott:</strong> This is a very hot political topic these days. But people have to remember, that’s the way our system was designed.</p>
<p><strong>David Jones:</strong> Protecting rights against the overbearing will of the majority is built into our constitutional system.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man with gray hair, a gray jacket, white shirt and blue tie talking outside a building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465573/original/file-20220526-13-xz7zvp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">GOP Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan said he ‘had to have police protection for six months’ after voting in 1994 for an assault weapons ban.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Election2022CongressUpton/94c372a13da54f4bb92310ab4dde6c76/photo?Query=Fred%20Upton&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=208&currentItemNo=0">AP Photo/Susan Walsh</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Do legislators also worry that sticking their neck out to vote for gun legislation might be for nothing if the Supreme Court is likely to strike down the law?</strong></p>
<p><strong>David Jones:</strong> The last time gun control passed in Congress was the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/4296">1994 assault weapons ban</a>. Many of the legislators who voted for that bill ended up losing their seats in the election that year. Some Republicans who voted for it are on record saying that they were receiving <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/us/politics/congress-assault-weapons-ban.html">threats of violence</a>. So it’s not trivial, when considering legislation, to be weighing, “Yeah, we can pass this, but was it worth it to me if it gets overturned by the Supreme Court?” </p>
<p><strong>Going back to the 1994 assault weapons ban: How did that manage to pass and how did it avoid a filibuster?</strong> </p>
<p><strong>David Jones:</strong> It got <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/us/politics/congress-assault-weapons-ban.html">rolled into a larger omnibus bill</a> that was an anti-crime bill. And that managed to garner the support of some Republicans. There are creative ways of rolling together things that one party likes with things that the other party likes. Is that still possible? I’m not sure. </p>
<p><strong>It sounds like what you are saying is that lawmakers are not necessarily driven by higher principle or a sense of humanitarianism, but rather cold, hard numbers and the idea of maintaining or getting power.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Monika McDermott:</strong> There are obvious trade-offs there. You can have high principles, but if your high principles serve only to make you a one-term officeholder, what good are you doing for the people who believe in those principles? At some point, you have to have a reality check that says if I can’t get reelected, then I can’t do anything to promote the things I really care about. You have to find a balance.</p>
<p><strong>Wouldn’t that matter more to someone in the House, with a two-year horizon, than to someone in the Senate, with a six-year term?</strong></p>
<p><strong>David Jones:</strong> Absolutely. If you’re five years out from an election and people are mad at you now, some other issue will come up and you might be able to calm the tempers. But if you’re two years out, that reelection is definitely more of a pressing concern.</p>
<p><strong>Some people are blaming the National Rifle Association for these killings. What do you see as the organization’s role in blocking gun restrictions by Congress?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Monika McDermott:</strong> From the public’s side, one of the important things the NRA does is speak directly to voters. The NRA publishes for their members <a href="https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/">ratings of congressional officeholders</a> based on how much they do or do not support policies the NRA favors. These kinds of things can be used by voters as easy <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2005.00314.x">information shortcuts</a> that help them navigate where a candidate stands on the issue when it’s time to vote. This gives them some credibility when they talk to lawmakers.</p>
<p><strong>David Jones:</strong> The NRA as a lobby is an explanation that’s out there. But I’d caution that it’s a little too simplistic to say interest groups control everything in our society. I think it’s an intermingling of the factors that we’ve been talking about, plus interest groups. </p>
<p>So why does the NRA have power? I would argue: Much of their power is going to the member of Congress and showing them a chart and saying, “Look at the voters in your district. Most of them own guns. Most of them don’t want you to do this.” It’s not that their donations or their threatening looks or phone calls are doing it, it’s the fact that they have the membership and they can do this research and show the legislator what electoral danger they’ll be in if they cast this vote, because of the opinions of that legislator’s core constituents. </p>
<p>Interest groups can help to pump up enthusiasm and make their issue the most important one among members of their group. They’re not necessarily changing overall public support for an issue, but they’re making their most persuasive case to a legislator, given the opinions of crucial voters that live in a district, and that can sometimes tip an already delicate balance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183896/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monika L. McDermott is a consultant for brilliant corners Research and Strategy. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David R. Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The nature of elected office combines with the lasting priorities of public opinion to put gun control on the back burner, even in times when it does get massive public attention.Monika L. McDermott, Professor of Political Science, Fordham UniversityDavid R. Jones, Professor of Political Science, Baruch College, CUNYLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1738812021-12-20T13:15:58Z2021-12-20T13:15:58ZAre parents criminally responsible for the actions of their child? In the Oxford shooting case, prosecutors say yes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437887/original/file-20211215-17-1atxx7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C26%2C2941%2C1967&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jennifer Crumbley, at left, and her husband, James, at far right, sit with their attorneys during a hearing.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/james-crumbley-and-jennifer-crumbley-sit-with-their-news-photo/1237230565?adppopup=true">Bill Pugliano/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many were surprised when <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2021/12/14/court-hearing-parents-accused-oxford-high-school-shooter/6470468001/">James and Jennifer Crumbley</a>, the parents of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/michigan-shooting-suspect-ethan-crumbley-b1975865.html">Ethan Crumbley</a>, the 15-year-old boy accused of killing four classmates at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan, were charged for their alleged role in the tragedy.</p>
<p>Criminal law, unlike civil law, is less likely to hold defendants liable for the actions of a third party, even if that third party is the defendant’s child. This is because in criminal law defendants face incarceration and the associated stigma that comes with a conviction. </p>
<p>Both Crumbley parents have pleaded not guilty to four counts each of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted on all counts, they each face a maximum <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/12/04/oxford-shooting-heres-what-charges-potential-sentences-suspects-parents-are-facing/">prison sentence of 60 years</a> and maximum fines of US$30,000. Unable to make the combined $1 million bond, they appeared before a judge on Dec. 3, 2021, in prison uniforms and chains. </p>
<p>In the rare instances that <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/9-years-after-sandy-hook-oxford-shooting-sees-parents-prosecuted-unprecedented-move-1659265">parents of school shooters are prosecuted</a>, they are normally charged with crimes such as child abuse, child neglect and failure to properly secure a firearm. The charge lodged against the Crumbleys, <a href="https://www.justia.com/criminal/offenses/homicide/involuntary-manslaughter/">involuntary manslaughter</a>, also known as gross negligent homicide, is even more uncommon. </p>
<p>But it’s not without precedent. </p>
<h2>A first grader’s death</h2>
<p>In 2000, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/02/20-years-after-kayla-rolland-the-fatal-first-grade-shooting-that-sparked-a-national-gun-debate.html">Jamelle James</a>, a Michigan resident, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for leaving his handgun in a shoebox in his bedroom. At the time, James lived in an apartment prosecutors described as a “flophouse” that was shared with a number of people, including two young children. </p>
<p>A 6-year-old boy – James’ nephew – was temporarily living in the apartment and discovered the gun, brought it to school and fatally shot his first grade classmate Kayla Rolland. James spent more than two years in prison before he was released on probation.</p>
<p>Prosecutors claimed that James’ conduct was “grossly negligent” and “so reckless as to demonstrate a substantial lack of concern for whether an injury resulted.” Arguably, leaving an unsecured gun around very young children demonstrated James’ gross negligence. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Ethan Crumbley, as seen in a police mug shot." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437904/original/file-20211215-21-9autxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ethan Crumbley is accused of fatally shooting four students at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, in Oxford, Michigan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-undated-handout-photo-provided-by-the-oakland-news-photo/1237057035?adppopup=true">Photo by Oakland County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>The Oxford shootings were the deadliest at a U.S. K-12 campus since 2018 and claimed the lives of Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17. Seven others were injured.</p>
<p>Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald took direct aim at Crumbley’s parents. Their behavior, McDonald explained, was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/03/1061190344/michigan-school-shooting-parents-oxford-charged">“egregious.”</a> </p>
<p>“I want to be really clear that these charges are meant to hold the individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable and also send a message that gun owners have a responsibility,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/03/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-superintendent-message/index.html">McDonald said during a news conference</a>. “When they fail to uphold that responsibility, there are serious and criminal consequences.”</p>
<p>One of the key questions for jurors, assuming no plea deal is reached, is whether the parents knew that a school shooting would occur or had reckless disregard of this fact. To prove the parents’ <a href="https://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=838">gross negligence</a>, the prosecution will most likely rely on a series of alleged facts.</p>
<h2>‘Egregious’ behavior</h2>
<p>Among the most central facts is that the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/us/crumbley-parents-charged-michigan-shooting.html">Crumbleys bought their son the handgun</a> as a Christmas present and later took him to target practice.</p>
<p>Neither parent informed the school that they had bought the gun and that their son had access to it.</p>
<p>After being told that her son was searching for ammo on his phone at school, Jennifer <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59523682">Crumbley told her son via text message not to get caught</a>: “LOL I’m not mad. You have to learn not to get caught.” </p>
<p>Neither of the parents opted to remove their son from school after being told that a teacher found a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/12/05/michigan-school-shooting/">disturbing drawing of a bloody figure</a> in his desk.</p>
<p>Finally, the gun was unsecured.</p>
<p>Though the prosecution’s case appears compelling, the Crumbleys’ defense team has some very strong counterarguments. </p>
<p>For starters, the weapon was legal to own, and Michigan has no law requiring the gun to be properly stored away from juveniles. As for informing the school about their son’s access to weapons, the defense will likely argue that the Crumbleys had no duty to do so, nor were they required to pull their son from school. </p>
<p>Finally, with regards to the text, Jennifer Crumbley will most likely claim that her text about the ammo was sent jokingly and she thought her son planned to shoot at targets, not other children.</p>
<h2>Changing the laws</h2>
<p>In the James case, the 6-year-old who shot his classmate was never charged with a crime because most jurisdictions hold that children under the age of 7 are unable to formulate criminal intent. </p>
<p>The same cannot be said for Ethan Crumbley. He has been <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/02/oxford-michigan-shooting-charges-ethan-crumbley-explained/8835757002/">charged with four counts</a> of first-degree murder, one count of terrorism causing death, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald answers questions at news conference." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437893/original/file-20211215-25-cm5btl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oakland County prosecuting attorney Karen McDonald announces on Dec. 3, 2021, that charges have been filed against the parents of accused Oxford High School gunman Ethan Crumbley.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/oakland-county-prosecuting-attorney-karen-mcdonald-news-photo/1356998362?adppopup=true">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Despite the challenges facing the prosecution, many people on both sides of the gun safety debate <a href="https://quchronicle.com/75407/opinion/oxford-is-yet-another-example-why-parents-of-school-shooters-should-be-held-responsible/">applaud the efforts of Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald</a>. </p>
<p>This may be attributable to the fact that most school shooters have little difficulty acquiring their weapons. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/explainer-how-unusual-to-charge-parents-in-school-shooting">According to a 2019 assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security</a>, 76% of the guns used in school shootings came from a parent or close relative, and approximately half the weapons were easily accessible. </p>
<p>Prosecuting the Crumbleys may reverse this trend, as may recently proposed state and federal legislation. Two weeks after the Oxford shootings, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., <a href="https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2021/12/15/michigan-rep-elissa-slotkin-introduces-legislation-requiring-safe-storage-of-firearms-in-wake-of-oxford-school-shooting/">proposed a new law</a> holding parents or other responsible adults liable for failing to secure their firearms. Michigan, along with a majority of other states, lacks a secure gun storage law, and a new federal law could make up for the absence of legislation at the state level and create penalties for failure to safely store guns.</p>
<p>The tragic events at Oxford High School – and the case against the Crumbleys – may be the catalyst for getting this legislation enacted and making parents criminally responsible for their children’s behavior. This case also may demonstrate that the debate on gun safety has moved from the statehouse to the courthouse. </p>
<p>[<em>The Conversation’s Politics + Society editors pick need-to-know stories.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=politics&source=inline-politics-need-to-know">Sign up for Politics Weekly</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173881/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thaddeus Hoffmeister does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s rare when parents are criminally responsible for the.actions of their child. The behavior of Jennifer and James Crumbley was so egregious, the prosecutor explained, she had no other choice.Thaddeus Hoffmeister, Law Professor, University of DaytonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1730272021-12-02T13:42:53Z2021-12-02T13:42:53ZSchool shootings are at a record high this year – but they can be prevented<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435165/original/file-20211201-22-1475z85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C8%2C2977%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">So far, there have been 222 school shootings in 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-bring-flowers-to-a-makeshift-memorial-outside-of-news-photo/1356625412?adppopup=true">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whenever a school shooting takes place like the one at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/30/oxford-high-school-shooting/">Oxford High School</a> in suburban Detroit on November 30, 2021, it is typically followed by a familiar chorus of questions.</p>
<p>How could such a thing happen? Why doesn’t the government do more to stop these shootings from occurring?</p>
<p>Those questions are even more urgent in light of the fact that the shooting at Oxford High School was one of 222 school shootings in 2021, an all-time high, according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s <a href="https://www.chds.us/ssdb/">K-12 School Shooting Database</a>. That’s over 100 more school shootings in 2021 than in 2019 or 2018, respectively the <a href="https://www.chds.us/ssdb/view-chart/?chartid=8">second- and third-worst years</a> on record.</p>
<p>In the Oxford High School case, a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/01/us/oxford-high-school-shooting-what-we-know/index.html">15-year-old boy</a> armed with a semiautomatic handgun is accused of killing four students and injuring six others and a teacher.</p>
<p>As shown in our 2021 book, “<a href="https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/violence-project_9781419752957/">The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic</a>,” school mass shooters tend to be current or former students of the school. They are almost always in crisis of some sort before their attack, as indicated by a noticeable change in behavior from usual. They often are <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-columbine-became-a-blueprint-for-school-shooters-115115">inspired by other school shooters</a>, and they also tend to leak their plans for violence in advance to their peers.</p>
<p>And school shooters usually <a href="https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/Protecting_Americas_Schools.pdf">get their guns</a> from family and friends who failed to store them safely and securely.</p>
<p>News reports suggest <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/us/oxford-school-shooting-michigan.html">a lot of this holds true</a> for the Oxford High School shooter. For instance, the suspect’s father allegedly <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/11/30/oxford-high-school-shooting-suspect-used-gun-dad-bought/8817406002/">purchased the handgun used in the shooting</a> just four days prior. The shooter reportedly exhibited “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/school-shooting-oxford-michigan-12-01-21/index.html">concerning</a>” behavior at school and posted <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/12/01/oxford-hs-suspect-allegedly-posted-pics-of-gun-before-massacre/">pictures of the gun</a> alongside threats of violence on social media.</p>
<p>The question now is how to translate these findings into policy and practice in order to prevent the next school shooting. </p>
<h2>Trouble from the start</h2>
<p>The data we use to track school shootings is a <a href="https://www.chds.us/ssdb/">comprehensive database</a> that includes information on “each and every instance a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time of day, or day of week” going back to 1970.</p>
<p>Working with its co-creator, David Riedman, we uncovered <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-11-05/record-school-shooting-threats-guns">a record 151 school shooting threats</a> in the “back-to-school” month of September 2021, up from a three-year average of 29. Actual school shootings also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/08/school-shootings-are-increasing-changing-easily-accessible-guns-are-blame/">more than doubled</a> during September 2021 compared with the same month in previous years. </p>
<p>There were 55 school shootings in September 2021, up from 24 in September 2020 and 14 in September 2019. But the school carnage began well before the 2021 school year got underway for most students, as evidenced in the Aug. 13 fatal shooting of <a href="https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/victim-suspect-named-in-fatal-washington-middle-school-shooting/">13-year-old Bennie Hargrove</a> at Washington Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.</p>
<p>These trends are part of an overall rise in <a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/">shootings</a> and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/10/27/what-we-know-about-the-increase-in-u-s-murders-in-2020/">murders</a> in 2020 and 2021, tied in part to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/02/10/this-is-how-many-guns-were-sold-in-all-50-states/43371461/">record gun sales</a>. More guns in more hands <a href="https://theconversation.com/most-school-shooters-get-their-guns-from-home-and-during-the-pandemic-the-number-of-firearms-in-households-with-teenagers-went-up-172951">increases the likelihood</a> that a firearm will find its way into a school.</p>
<h2>Local responses</h2>
<p>Schools are struggling to respond to the overwhelming number of shootings and shooting threats. There have been a staggering <a href="https://www.chds.us/ssdb/">30 shootings</a> just at high school football games so far this year. </p>
<p>A “<a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/aurora-community-meeting-state-emergency/73-15c17eb5-21fa-4010-a296-f6e1df9ea049">State of Emergency</a>” meeting was held after nine teens were shot in two separate shootings in Aurora, Colorado, in November 2021. Public schools in the area are prohibiting <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/aurora-public-schools-lunch-break-policy/73-03950f8a-afaa-4b95-ab00-842e0d3826e7">students from leaving for lunch</a> in an effort to keep them safe.</p>
<p>One school in Phoenix, Arizona, banned <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cesar-chavez-high-school-increases-182811090.html">backpacks and food deliveries</a> after a student was shot in the bathroom on Nov. 29. The Newburgh Enlarged City School District in <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/23/new-york-school-district-offers-remote-learning-over-shootings/">New York State</a> offered remote learning following two separate shooting incidents near its schools on Nov. 22. Schools across the country are increasing safety measures, <a href="https://www.wxii12.com/article/winston-salem-police-respond-to-reported-shooting-at-mount-tabor-high-school/37455325#%22%22">canceling classes</a>, even using <a href="https://www.actionnewsjax.com/video/archive/raw-police-escort-school-bus-following-shooting/7SHHOVJHSPVUMQUUZQPY2G7PPQ/">police escorts</a> for students coming onto campus.</p>
<p>These localized responses stand in stark contrast to the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/world/us-gun-culture-world-comparison-intl-cmd/index.html">national legislative action taken in Finland, Germany and other countries</a> when they experienced deadly school shootings.</p>
<h2>Response in the UK</h2>
<p>Twenty-five years ago, in March 1996, a gunman walked into Scotland’s Dunblane Primary School and opened fire, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Dunblane-school-massacre">killing 16 children and a teacher</a>. A successful campaign for gun regulation followed, laws were changed, <a href="https://www.theweek.co.uk/100333/uk-gun-laws-who-can-own-a-firearm">handguns were banned</a> and the United Kingdom <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-1996-dunblane-massacre-pushed-uk-enact-stricter-gun-laws-180977221/">hasn’t had a school shooting since</a>.</p>
<p>Yet in America, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/03/us/school-shooting-lockdown-drills/">active shooter drills</a> to rehearse for a real shooting incident and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515">armed guards</a> to respond to them are the best children can hope for. There is a US$3 billion “<a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814748206/homeroom-security/">homeroom security</a>” industry, and some parents send their children to school wearing <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/bulletproof-backpacks-wouldn-t-have-saved-anyone-recent-shootings-n1042801">bulletproof backpacks</a>.</p>
<h2>Searching for solutions</h2>
<p>In a study published in the <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785799">Journal of the American Medical Association</a> in November 2021, we searched public records on 170 mass shooters who killed four or more people from 1966 to 2019 for any communication of intent to do harm. That includes posting a threat on social media or telegraphing future violence to a loved one in person. We found that 79 mass shooters – nearly half of them – leaked their plans in advance. Communication was most common among school shooters and younger shooters. The fact it was most strongly associated with suicidal tendencies or attempts, as well as prior mental health counseling, suggests it may best be characterized as a cry for help.</p>
<p>Threats of violence <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/michigan-high-school-shooting-threats-b1967288.html">circulated on campus</a> before the Oxford High School shooting, with some students <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/some-students-stayed-home-ahead-oxford-school-shooting-due-online-threats-1654913">staying home</a> out of an abundance of caution. There will be questions now about whether threats were disclosed to authorities and handled appropriately, in ways consistent with best practices on <a href="https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2020-10/USSS_NTAC_Enhancing_School_Safety_Guide.pdf">threat assessment</a> or what we like to call “<a href="https://off-ramp.org/crisis-response-teams/">crisis response</a>” systems. Our research is clear that all threats must be investigated and treated seriously as an opportunity for real intervention.</p>
<p>There are further implications from our research. If school shooters are nearly always students of the school, educators and others who work with them need training to identify a student in crisis and how <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/more-schools-are-using-anonymous-tip-lines-to-thwart-violence-do-they-work/2018/08">to report</a> something they see or hear indicative of violent intent.</p>
<p>Schools also need <a href="https://www.aclu.org/report/cops-and-no-counselors">counselors, social workers</a> and other resources so they can respond appropriately and holistically to students in crisis. This means not unduly punishing students with expulsion or <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article217015060.html">criminal charges</a> – things that could escalate the crisis or any grievance with the institution.</p>
<p>And for parents of school-age children, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-moms-are-quietly-passing-gun-safety-policy-through-school-n1132891">safe gun storage at home</a> is paramount. </p>
<p>School shootings are not inevitable. They’re preventable. But practitioners and policymakers must act quickly because each school shooting <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/thresholds-of-violence">feeds the cycle for the next one</a>, causing <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/local/school-shootings-database/">harm</a> far beyond that which is measured in lives lost. We believe the steps outlined above can help address that harm, promoting school security while safeguarding student well-being.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173027/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Densley has received funding from The National Institute of Justice.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jillian Peterson receives funding from The National Institute of Justice. </span></em></p>School shootings are typically preceded by a series of warning signs. Are educators, police and policymakers paying enough attention?James Densley, Professor of Criminal Justice, Metropolitan State University Jillian Peterson, Professor of Criminal Justice, Hamline University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1073992018-11-28T11:42:19Z2018-11-28T11:42:19ZForget lanes – we all need to head together toward preventing firearm injury<p>Many of us working in the “<a href="https://gunsensevoter.org/about/">Gun Sense</a>” field – that is, finding a middle ground position to advance firearm safety and reduce preventable injury in our patients – had an “a-ha” moment that led us to toil in these fields. </p>
<p>Mine was on Nov. 2, 1981, when my friend and co-resident <a href="https://www.woodfdn.org">Dr. John C. Wood II</a> was shot right in front of our hospital emergency room at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Washington Heights, New York City.</p>
<p>I have taken care of many gunshot wound victims since then, but none so difficult emotionally as this one. I participated in cracking my friend’s chest to start open cardiac massage and saw his heart devoid of blood from a through-and-through gunshot wound into his heart with a Saturday night special. </p>
<p>The survivability of a cardiac gunshot wound like this is close to zero, even though he was minutes away from the ER. He was in the OR and placed on cardiac bypass within 10 minutes of arrival. But his pupils were fixed and dilated and he had exsanguinated, or bled out, into his chest cavity. He did not survive despite our best efforts. It was an event that rocked Columbia and all who knew John, a fully boarded pediatrics-turned-surgical resident, a world-class Juilliard-trained French horn player and former Columbia rugby team captain. </p>
<p>The urgency of the firearm violence issue facing our country was heightened this past week when nine people were killed in three separate mass shootings over an 18-hour period in the U.S. In the past month, there have been attacks at places of worship, yoga studios and hospitals. Add these to the shootings in schools and in movie theaters and the <a href="https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx">tremendous sense of unease</a> our citizenry is experiencing is completely understandable. </p>
<p>As physicians and surgeons on the front lines, many of my colleagues and I feel that it is no longer acceptable to treat this problem like our trauma team is a MASH unit. We have an obligation and an opportunity to reach out and speak out, and my hope is the country is listening. Because this is indeed our lane.</p>
<h2>Watching the violence grow</h2>
<p>My training took me to other cities, and everywhere the tragedy of firearm injury seemed to follow. I knew after that night in November ‘81 I could no longer practice in New York City, but I could not escape the parade of firearm tragedies. Children shot accidentally. Teens shot in gang wars. Teens and elders shooting themselves in impulsive moments of despair, yielding nearly 100 percent completion of their suicide task. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246745/original/file-20181121-161618-1dw1igf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jim Brady, Ronald Reagan’s press secretary, was paralyzed after being shot in the March 1981 assassination attempt against the president. Brady died Aug. 4, 2014, and his death was ruled a homicide.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/YE-Deaths/d0f8c9f81e8b434cbb5bfaa036837917/19/0">Evan Vucci/AP Photo</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Gun violence increasingly became my focus when I heard Sarah Brady explain the concept of limiting access to lethal means. Sarah is the wife of <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/reagan-press-secretary-jim-bradys-death-ruled-homicide-n176521">Jim Brady</a>, Ronald Reagan’s press secretary shot in the 1981 presidential assassination attempt. Brady spent the rest of his life partially paralyzed. He died in 2014, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. </p>
<p>The Brady approach to gun control is limiting access. It is based on the premise that we might not be able to deal with the root causes of the violence – racism, poverty, mental illness – but that we could perhaps deal with the vector of violence that elevates all these factors into lethality – access to firearms. This is the philosophy behind the <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org">Brady Campaign</a>, which aims to limit gun violence in the U.S. I began to wonder what I as an individual trauma surgeon could do to make a difference. </p>
<h2>Looking for answers</h2>
<p>In the 1990s, I was working in Pittsburgh as a pediatric trauma surgeon. A gang turf war over control of the crack cocaine trade broke out between the Bloods and the Crips. Both sides were heavily armed. As the body count rose on the north side of Pittsburgh where I was working, legislators tried to help by establishing a mandatory sentence for anyone in possession of a firearm when arrested for drug trafficking. </p>
<p>This caused the dealers to push the age of the drug runners to preteens and young teens, and they were equally armed. Our pediatric gunshot-wound patient victim numbers soared. When an 11-year-old was shot with an AK-47 in front of the mayor’s house, suddenly the city responded. Pittsburgh held community meetings. As director of a Robert Wood Johnson Injury Prevention Program, I was selected to represent the Allegheny General Hospital. The community disparaged our hospital as being insensitive and uncaring. Many believed we were “profiting” from the carnage and just sending the patients back out into the street to face more mayhem even if they had survived. </p>
<p>Our hospital encouraged my practice partner, Dr. Matt Masiello, and me to do something. We were both transplanted New Yorkers in the ‘Burgh, and we had heard about a new kind of gun buyback program in Washington Heights where a carpet store owner, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/30/nyregion/carpet-man-fulfills-promise-with-guns-for-toys-program-fernando-mateo-succeeds.html">Fernando Mateo</a>, had emptied his inventory in exchange for locals bringing in their firearms. Previously, gun buybacks had only offered cash for the weapons. We decided to build a version of the program exchanging the guns for gift certificates to local merchants rather than actual merchandise. We collected 1,400 weapons that first year in 1994 and about 10,000 since then. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246746/original/file-20181121-161609-6zaw0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Miami detective registers a Magnum .357 in a gun buyback event in March 2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Daily-Life-Florida/53f5a92e08514c16babcbdf6d086d900/10/0">Lynne Sladky/AP Photo</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The buyback program has become much more than just a way to give the patrons the ability to rid their homes of unwanted or unsecured weapons. We built a public information blitz about the <a href="https://journals.lww.com/jtrauma/Abstract/2011/11002/Goods_for_Guns_The_Use_of_a_Gun_Buyback_as_an.10.aspx">responsibility that goes along with the right</a> to own a firearm, and we built awareness of the increased risk of suicide, homicide, femicide, accidental shooting, or breaking and entering for the purpose of stealing a firearm. </p>
<p>We have now reproduced the program in a number of cities across the U.S. In my hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts, working out of the UMass Memorial Medical Center, our multi-pronged approach to gun safety education coupled with the gun buyback has given us the distinction of having the lowest-penetrating trauma rate in New England.</p>
<p>In calendar year 2017, we had zero firearm fatalities, down from five the year before. </p>
<p>This was an astounding number, in view of national stats showing a rise from 33,000 deaths in 2010 to 38,000 in 2018. We faculty at the University of Massachusetts have built a curriculum for students at our medical school to empower doctors to ask the right questions in the proper way. </p>
<p>I am truly excited about the response my fellow physicians have demonstrated in their reaction to the National Rifle Association’s “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/19/health/nra-stay-in-your-lane-physicians-study/index.html">stay in your lane</a>” comments.</p>
<p>The NRA has already tried and failed to gag doctors in Florida from talking with their patients about gun safety.</p>
<p>In 2011, it backed a bill ultimately passed by the Florida legislature that would have forbidden doctors from asking patients about gun ownership or gun storage unless the doctor had a specific reason to do so. Doctors in violation <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/17/515764335/court-strikes-down-florida-law-barring-doctors-from-discussing-guns-with-patient">could have been punished</a> by loss of license and up to a US$10,000 fine. </p>
<p>“Physicians interrogating and lecturing parents and children about guns is not about gun safety,” read a <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/17/515764335/court-strikes-down-florida-law-barring-doctors-from-discussing-guns-with-patient">letter from the NRA</a> in support of the bill. “It is a political agenda to ban guns. Parents do not take their children to physicians for a political lecture against the ownership of firearms, they go there for medical care.”</p>
<p>Though it took six years to do so, the parts of the law that gagged doctors were <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/17/515764335/court-strikes-down-florida-law-barring-doctors-from-discussing-guns-with-patient">overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals</a> in February 2017. </p>
<p>And now, even more than in previous years, doctors are saying they have seen enough – actually, way too much. </p>
<p>Now the awakening of the M.D.s gives me a sense of encouragement and hope that we as a profession can lead our country away from the intransigent position in which nothing gets done. Gun buyback is a middle-ground Gun Sense position that can rally a community around the cause that I have been fighting for since that dark day in November 1981. I hope other municipalities will join us, as <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316569711_Are_Goods_for_Guns_Good_for_the_Community_An_Update_of_a_Community_Gun_Buyback_Program">these programs do work</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107399/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Hirsh is the medical consultant for the John C. Wood II charitable foundation.</span></em></p>In response to the NRA telling doctors to ‘stay in their lane’ on gun control, doctors loudly and clearly came back with this response: This is our lane. A surgeon explains their concern and urgency.Michael Hirsh, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1023182018-09-04T10:33:49Z2018-09-04T10:33:49ZWhy there’s so much inconsistency in school shooting data<p>How many school shootings happen in the U.S. in a single school year? The answer is surprisingly hard to figure out.</p>
<p>In April 2018, the U.S. Department of Education <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/school-climate-and-safety.pdf">released a report</a> on the 2015-2016 school year, stating that “nearly 240 schools (0.2 percent of all schools) reported at least 1 incident involving a school-related shooting.” However, the <a href="https://everytownresearch.org/gunfire-in-school/">nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety’s database</a> lists only 29 school shootings for the same period.</p>
<p>When National Public Radio <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/08/27/640323347/the-school-shootings-that-werent">investigated the inconsistency</a>, they found that 161 of the Department of Education’s 240 shootings either did not occur or could not be confirmed by the school districts involved. Similarly, the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/race-discipline-and-safety-us-public-schools?redirect=schooldiscipline">American Civil Liberties Union</a> contacted each school that allegedly had a shooting and found that 138 of the reported shootings were errors. </p>
<p>So where does school shooting information come from? How could these counts be so far apart? </p>
<p><iframe id="AcFuS" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/AcFuS/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>The laws on guns in schools</h2>
<p>Students are legally prohibited from bringing guns to school. That means they can be in serious trouble, even if they never fire the gun. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg54.html">Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994</a> requires schools in any state receiving certain federal funding to implement a one-year expulsion rule for students who bring a firearm to school. Students found in possession of a firearm must also be referred to the criminal justice or juvenile justice system. </p>
<p>Each year, schools must report any firearm-related expulsions. Those can include shootings, but also firearm possession and other firearm crimes. Schools <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/STATUTE-93/STATUTE-93-Pg668/content-detail.html">report firearm offenses like these</a> to the <a href="https://ocrdata.ed.gov/">Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)</a>, which is operated by of the Department of Education.</p>
<p><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html">In a biennial survey</a>, the CRDC asks schools and other public local educational agencies like charter schools: “For the regular (…) school year, not including intersession or summer, was there at least one incident at the school that involved a shooting (regardless of whether anyone was hurt)?”</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Education used the results of this question to estimate the number of school shootings for 2015-2016.</p>
<p>Schools are expected to report any incidents that occur during school hours on school grounds. In addition to shootings, schools report the number of incidents that involved possession of a firearm, as well as the number of robberies, homicides, physical attacks and physical fights that involved a “firearm or explosive device.”</p>
<h2>Room for error</h2>
<p>A closer look at this survey shows why the U.S. Department of Education’s data was so inaccurate.</p>
<p>First, there are problems with the definition of the term “shooting.” Nowhere in the CRDC survey is that word clearly defined. Is it a shooting if a student has a gun that accidentally goes off? Could the term “shooting” refer to incidents involving toy guns? </p>
<p>Schools are asked to provide counts of various crimes involving firearms or explosive devices, so some counts of possession or attacks may be due to weapons other than firearms. The CRDC’s definitions of various terms may differ from those used by state agencies or even the school districts themselves. If schools don’t record disciplinary actions using the same terms, reporting becomes very difficult.</p>
<p>Second, there’s the issue of the burden on school administrators. Schools already report a great deal of information to state agencies. Locating the required information or re-reporting information to multiple agencies can be time-consuming, possibly leading to errors or confusion about what to report. The CRDC is <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html">making some changes</a> to their 2017-18 data collection effort to reduce this burden.</p>
<p>It’s also easy to make mistakes. A school administrator might accidentally type a 9 rather a 0. Or they may accidentally enter the number of offenses for one crime category in the space allotted for another category. These errors may not be spotted until after the results of the survey are made public. There’s currently no procedure in place to verify that reported shootings are, in fact, shootings.</p>
<h2>Why getting the count right is so important</h2>
<p>Errors like these can have major consequences – especially if the number is inflated.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/18/a-majority-of-u-s-teens-fear-a-shooting-could-happen-at-their-school-and-most-parents-share-their-concern/">A Pew Research Center poll</a> in April found that 57 percent of teens were somewhat or very worried that a school shooting could happen in their school. Parents of teens were even more likely to report worry over school shootings, especially those with low incomes. Some families are <a href="https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/lifestyles/after-broward-shooting-local-parents-wonder-should-homeschool/VlcC9FTvNELyJ2mUY4aq9N/">considering homeschooling</a> their children out of fear of school shootings.</p>
<p>School shooting counts can also sway policy. <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/school-safety.aspx">In this year alone</a>, 26 states considered bills or resolutions related to arming school personnel. Even more introduced bills or resolutions related to guns in K-12 schools more generally. </p>
<p><a href="https://everytown.org/article/schoolshootings;/">Some sources</a> of school shooting data, like Everytown, rely on a different resource: the media. They look for news mentions of school shootings instead of reports from the schools themselves. However, these counts can also be inaccurate. Not all firearm-related offenses come to the attention of the media. Some media mentions must be verified with law enforcement to ensure the details are accurate.</p>
<p>Combining methods may be our best option. As a researcher who studies criminal justice, I believe verifying school shooting reports with a media search may reduce errors without placing undue burden on schools. Double-checking each reported shooting is time-consuming and costly. Unfortunately, so are the consequences of getting the count incorrect.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102318/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lacey Wallace does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Department of Education says there were 240 school shootings during a recent school year. Another database only counts 29. How could the numbers be so different – and who is right?Lacey Wallace, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/924772018-03-01T17:05:10Z2018-03-01T17:05:10ZThe NRA’s video channel is a hotbed of online hostility<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208515/original/file-20180301-152587-1fo7lth.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">NRA TV's content focuses on ideology rather than guns.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq7jnowk0kk">Screenshot from YouTube.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="https://home.nra.org/">National Rifle Association</a>, the most influential gun rights advocacy group in the U.S., comes under pressure from <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/technology/375556-groups-call-on-apple-amazon-to-ditch-nra-tv-channel">victims’ groups</a> and gun control advocates, internet companies like Amazon, Apple and YouTube are finding themselves uncomfortably close to the center of the controversy. These are among the companies that currently stream the NRA’s official video channel, <a href="https://www.nratv.com/">NRA TV</a>. </p>
<p>NRA TV has become a central focus in what could be a threshold moment in the national gun debate. In the wake of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/us/florida-shooting-victims-school/index.html">school shooting</a> in Parkland, Florida, that claimed 17 lives, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/23/business/nra-boycott.html">consumer activist movement</a> has worked to peel back the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394">tight grip the NRA holds</a> over the country’s gun policy. The effort has driven some airlines, insurance companies, car rental companies and banks to <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/25/news/companies/companies-abandoning-nra-list/index.html">sever their commercial and professional ties</a> with the NRA. Now gun control activists are turning their full attention to the internet.</p>
<p>In the world of online politics, it’s not unusual to find videos <a href="http://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2017/09/17/3149702971737159051/636x382_MP4_3149702971737159051.mp4">inciting hostility</a>. On Feb. 12, just days before the Parkland shooting, one such <a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/963128750857641984">YouTube video</a> featured a pundit smashing a sledgehammer through a TV set that featured liberal commentators, later declaring, “If we want to take back this nation from socialists who are out to destroy it … you better believe we’ll be pushing the truth on them.” But that video was not the seething production of an obscure far-right blogger. It was the latest episode of the official video channel of the NRA.</p>
<p>NRA TV is not merely a platform for promoting Second Amendment rights or engaging gun enthusiasts. As a <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783319514239">researcher of online extremism</a>, I’d contend it has become one of the web’s most incendiary hotspots for stoking outrage at liberal America, attacking perceived enemies like <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/">Black Lives Matter</a> and the <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/">Women’s March</a>, and promoting the message that America is under threat from the so-called “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/895358165335789568">violent left</a>” – an especially alarming term, coming from a gun lobby.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=332&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208364/original/file-20180301-36671-gsiga5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">NRA TV presents itself as a part of a movement for truth and facts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnPV7QPHfuwwPBn_mvI_Hzw">Screenshot from YouTube.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What is NRA TV?</h2>
<p>Given the channel’s association with the NRA, a newcomer to NRA TV might reasonably expect information on gun safety, Second Amendment rights and a community for firearms enthusiasts and collectors. Its focus is none of those things. Instead, visitors find a virtual hornet’s nest of hard-right politics. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783319514239">In my work</a>, I came across NRA TV while tracking far-right and far-left groups’ activities on Twitter. One such group had retweeted a video from NRA TV featuring host Dana Loesch calling the mainstream media “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/801490119710621696">the rat bastards of the earth</a>” whom she was happy to see “curb stomped.”</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"801490119710621696"}"></div></p>
<p>The acidic tone of NRA TV represents an astonishing evolution of an organization that began as a rifle club to <a href="https://home.nra.org/about-the-nra/">promote marksmanship</a>. Even the NRA of the 1980s, which ran <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr3tKACUBH8">TV ads on the right to bear arms</a>, would be hard to recognize as a forebear to today’s version. My study of 224 NRA TV videos and tweets over two months in 2017 found that only 34 dealt with topics related to direct gun advocacy or gun ownership. The remaining 190, or about five out of every six posts, were trained on perceived political enemies, trading the core mission of gun rights for incessant attacks on “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/895358165335789568">crazed liberals</a>” and “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/895487918701068288">hateful leftists</a>.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sr3tKACUBH8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A TV ad from the NRA from the 1980s.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is hard to recall an NRA that once viewed itself as a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/24/politics/nra-partisan-bipartisan-republican/index.html">bipartisan body</a>. Its current online hosts warn that opponents of President Donald Trump will “<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/10/20/new-nra-ad-warns-trump-opponents-will-perish-political-flames-their-own-fires/218283">perish in the political flames of their own fires</a>.” Even more provocative is the portrayal of the NRA’s declared adversaries, framed not as political foes, but as ideological and even existential threats. The Women’s March is labeled “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/884490532168151040">a bigoted, fake feminist, jihad-supporting</a>” movement, while Black Lives Matter is described as “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/884505310022385666">a dangerous, hateful, destructive ideology</a>.” </p>
<p>The dystopian picture that NRA TV portrays includes government officials <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NRATV/videos/10155145665227898/">encouraging violent protests</a> against conservative groups, and a media-sponsored “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/889933589437009921">war on cops</a>.” The NRA believes it must be <a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/882731146550820864">ready to defend</a> itself and the country against these and other forces.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208326/original/file-20180228-36683-iegxan.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=619&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In addition to publishing its own material, NRA TV also retweets others’ hostile messages.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/881491671237767168">Screenshot from Twitter.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/895358165335789568">a video that streamed</a> to NRA TV’s 260,000 Twitter followers in August 2017, host Grant Stinchfield asked his audience, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“What scares me more than the North Korean crazed tyrant? The violent left and the crazed liberals who lead them. They like North Korea also pose a clear and present danger to America … Make no mistake, the lying leftist media, the elitist cringe-worthy celebrities, and the anti-American politicians – who make up the violent left – don’t just hate President Trump, they hate you.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The insinuation that left-wing forces are out to destroy the country by sabotaging its institutions is a demagogic refrain with echoes of the <a href="http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/murrowmccarthy.html">anti-communist McCarthy era</a>. But it is particularly unsettling when it emanates from a lobby that simultaneously promotes the necessity of <a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/889598211492532224">gun ownership</a>. Which brings us back to Amazon.</p>
<h2>Pulling the plug</h2>
<p>After another shooting at an American high school at the hands of a <a href="http://time.com/5160267/gun-used-florida-school-shooting-ar-15/">19-year-old with an AR-15</a>, the gun-control advocacy movement has turned its attention to its chief opponent, the NRA. The strategy is to dislodge the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/politics/nra-political-money-clout/index.html">influence of the NRA</a> by going after its support system. That has led activists to Amazon, Apple, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nra-tv-roku-rejects-calls-to-cancel-channel/">Roku</a> and other services that stream NRA TV content. While other companies support the NRA financially, these internet giants provide perhaps a more valuable currency in their prominent platforms that allow the NRA to distribute its message. </p>
<p><a href="https://momsdemandaction.org/">Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America</a> is one organization leading the charge for internet companies to drop NRA TV, citing its “<a href="https://momsdemandaction.org/moms-demand-action-everytown-launch-dumpnratv-campaign-calling-on-google-amazon-apple-atts-directv-and-roku-to-stop-streaming-nratv/">violence-inciting programming</a>.” The group is joined by some of the survivors of the Parkland shooting, such as David Hogg, who is <a href="https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/968129989085421569">encouraging people to boycott tech companies</a> that carry NRA TV. A <a href="https://www.change.org/p/jeff-bezos-remove-nratv-from-amazon-s-streaming-service-website">petition on Change.org</a>, with 240,000 signatures as of March 1, is simultaneously calling on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to purge NRA content from his site’s offerings. And on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dropNRATV">#dropNRATV</a> is gaining steam, even as the channel continues to host controversial content.</p>
<p>The growing wave of consumer activists has effectively placed the internet’s biggest gatekeepers in the middle of America’s hyperpolarized gun debate. As web hosts, their power to amplify or quiet controversial messages is unmatched in the modern media landscape. But in many ways, this is not strictly a gun issue. Rather, a closer look at NRA TV suggests that this is also an issue of community standards, which are well within a web host’s domain. </p>
<p>And in recent months, YouTube and Twitter have each demonstrated a willingness to <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/12/18/twitter-is-starting-to-purge-its-alt-right-users/">enforce stricter terms of service</a> prohibiting hateful, dangerous or abusive material from their networks. So the real question that these internet companies now face is whether an NRA tirade about American liberals posing a “<a href="https://twitter.com/NRATV/status/895358165335789568">clear and present danger</a>” is legitimate gun advocacy, or barefaced incitement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92477/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam G. Klein does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Gun control advocates want to shut down the National Rifle Association’s online video channel, NRA TV. A scholar looks at what its videos are actually about.Adam G. Klein, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Pace University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/780152017-05-23T03:48:38Z2017-05-23T03:48:38ZNew public database reveals striking differences in how guns are regulated from state to state<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170432/original/file-20170522-7379-1pyzuac.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Anti-gun protestors rally in Washington, D.C. in July 2016.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/PGroup-Patsy-Lynch-MediaPunch-IPx-A-ENT-IPX-Ant-/4ec5624207314e2bb468f271942765c1/7/0">Patsy Lynch/MediaPunch/IPX</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>From 2014 to 2015, the United States experienced its largest annual increase in <a href="https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate.html">firearm deaths</a> over the past 35 years, a 7.8 percent upturn in a single year. In 45 of the 50 states the rate of overall deaths from firearms increased and the firearm homicide rate rose in every state except West Virginia. </p>
<p>What did Congress do to confront this problem? Only four bills addressing firearm violence made it out of committee during the 2015-2016 congressional session. <a href="https://www.congress.gov/">Not one was enacted</a>. </p>
<p>Because of inaction on the part of the federal government, it is up to each individual state to develop its own policies to reduce gun violence. To evaluate the effectiveness of these laws, researchers and policymakers need a way to track differences in state firearm legislation over an extended time period. Previously, there was no such resource.</p>
<p>We have just released a new public <a href="http://www.statefirearmlaws.org">database</a> that tracks a wide range of firearm laws across all 50 states for the past 27 years. </p>
<p>For the first time, long-term trends in the enactment of gun safety laws can be compared between states. We found <a href="http://ajph.aphapublications.org/#8cdc447d-522c-45de-b41e-bd66ef3ee2a9-58132d06-cf2f-4e31-a696-f4f2aa0cdd9a">striking disparities</a> between states in both the <a href="https://www.statefirearmlaws.org/report/SFL-Report-2016.pdf">number of firearm laws and the rate of adoption of these laws over time</a>. </p>
<h1>Fewer limits for gun owners</h1>
<p>Our database includes <a href="https://www.statefirearmlaws.org/categories.html">133 different measures</a> intended to reduce gun violence, noting the presence or absence of each in all 50 states from 1991 to the present. </p>
<p>Five states currently have fewer than five of these 133 possible firearm law provisions in place, while two states have 100 or more. Between 1991 and 2016, one state enacted 62 of the firearm law provisions, while 16 states actually repealed more provisions than they enacted.</p>
<p>States are increasingly enacting laws that allow people to shoot other people as a first resort in public, instead of retreating when threatened. If a person perceives a threat of serious bodily harm, so-called “<a href="http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2841&context=facpubs">stand your ground</a>” laws allow them to fire their gun with immunity from prosecution, as long as they are in a place they have a legal right to be. Between 2004 and 2017, 24 states enacted a “stand your ground” law. </p>
<p><iframe id="nrUYq" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/nrUYq/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>States are also increasingly loosening the requirements for carrying concealed weapons. Today, there are 12 states that allow people to carry a concealed weapon without any permit or license. This year alone, three states have already enacted laws that eliminate required permits for carrying concealed weapons.</p>
<h1>More laws are being enacted to protect the gun industry</h1>
<p>States are also increasingly enacting laws that <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1281&context=jhclp">protect the gun industry</a> from potential liability. These laws prevent citizens who are injured by firearms from suing gun manufacturers for damages resulting from the misuse of their products. They also stop local governments from filing lawsuits against gun manufacturers. </p>
<p><iframe id="VT0w3" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/VT0w3/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>No other consumer product manufacturer enjoys such <a href="http://repository.jmls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1366&context=lawreview">broad immunity</a>. A similar law at the federal level resulted in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/15/nyregion/judge-dismisses-suit-against-gun-maker-by-newtown-victims-families.html?_r=0">dismissal</a> of a lawsuit against gun manufacturers brought by the families of children killed in the Newtown tragedy in Connecticut.</p>
<p>While only seven states had such a law in 1991, 33 states now have a gun industry immunity law. </p>
<p>In 1998, the Federal Bureau of Investigation implemented a <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics">federal background check system</a> for gun purchases from licensed dealers. Since then, only eight states have closed a loophole in this law by requiring universal background checks for all firearm purchases in their state, even those from unlicensed sellers. This “gun show loophole” allows any adult to purchase a gun without being subject to a background check merely by purchasing from a private seller, rather than a licensed dealer. </p>
<p>Today, adults in 37 states can legally purchase a firearm from a private seller without being required to undergo a background check.</p>
<p>There is, however, one area of gun regulation that most of the states, even those with very few other gun safety laws, are progressively pursuing: laws that prohibit domestic violence offenders from possessing firearms. In 1991, only three states had enacted laws that prohibit gun possession by people convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. Today, 28 states have such laws in place. </p>
<p>In a similar shift, in 1991, not a single state prohibited firearm possession by people subject to permanent domestic violence-related restraining orders. Today, 27 states have this provision.</p>
<p><iframe id="CklkE" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/CklkE/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h1>Why our database matters</h1>
<p>By examining trends in firearm legislation, rather than just looking at a single snapshot in time, we can discover patterns in firearm law adoption.
These patterns may reflect changes in social norms or specific lobbying campaigns by special interest groups.</p>
<p>For example, the surge in “stand your ground” laws was not a coincidence, but the result of a concerted National Rifle Association lobbying campaign. Florida’s 2005 law – the second to be adopted, after Utah’s in 1994 – was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/15/us/marion-hammer-profile/">crafted</a> by former NRA president Marion Hammer. These laws were <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2012/03/21/alec-has-pushed-the-nras-stand-your-ground-law/186459">pushed</a> by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), of which the NRA was a member. An NRA official co-chaired an ALEC committee that <a href="https://everytownresearch.org/reports/shoot-first/">drafted a model law</a>, which was then introduced in states throughout the country.</p>
<p>More than anything else, this database is intended to help researchers evaluate the effectiveness of different state-level approaches to reducing gun violence. By examining the relationship between changes in these laws over time and changes in firearm mortality, researchers may be able to identify which policies are effective and which are not.</p>
<p>In our view, legislators must balance the protection of the constitutional right to possess a firearm for self-defense with the responsibility to reduce firearm-related injury and death. To do this, they need to distinguish policies that effectively reduce firearm violence from those that are ineffective and therefore superfluous. Reliable longitudinal data can help them find ways to mitigate the impact that gun violence has on the lives of thousands of Americans each year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78015/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Siegel is the Principal Investigator of a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Evidence for Action Program, which supported the development of the state firearm law database described in this article. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Molly Pahn has interned with Everytown for Gun Safety. </span></em></p>How have state firearm laws changed over time? Over the past 27 years, some states have loosened the rules for gun owners and the gun industry, while others are getting stricter.Michael Siegel, Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston UniversityMolly Pahn, Research Manager, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/682202017-04-05T19:18:06Z2017-04-05T19:18:06ZPeople who shoot risk unhealthy levels of lead exposure<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145143/original/image-20161109-19092-prkury.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Shooters exposed to lead at work over long periods of time, like military personnel in firing ranges, risk a range of medical complaints.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A gun is a dangerous weapon for obvious reasons. But there are less obvious risks to those who use them. New research shows people who shoot, for work or leisure, risk lead poisoning.</p>
<p>Our just published <a href="http://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-017-0246-0">review</a> shows how exposure to lead from bullets, airborne particles in shooting ranges and other sources shows up in shooters’ blood at levels we believe pose a health risk.</p>
<h2>Who’s at risk?</h2>
<p>Security personnel, police officers and members of the military who fire guns at shooting ranges for work, and members of the public who shoot at firing ranges for recreation, are at risk.</p>
<p>Large numbers of shooters are involved, particularly in the US, where there are about <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6316a3.htm">16,000-18,000</a> indoor firing ranges. In the US, about <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6316a3.htm">one million</a> law enforcement officers train regularly at indoor firing ranges each year and <a href="http://www.nssf.org/PDF/research/TargetShootingInAmericaReport.pdf">20 million people</a> practice target shooting as a leisure activity.</p>
<p>The Geological Survey calculated that in 2012 about <a href="http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/mis-201301-lead.pdf">60,100 metric tonnes</a> of lead were used in ammunition and bullets in the US. Given that lead is the dominant metal in bullets and primers (which initiates the combustion of gunpowder in the bullet cartridge), there are large numbers of people exposed by firing bullets.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to estimate how many Australians shoot at ranges and are exposed to lead. While the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia says it has <a href="https://www.ssaa.org.au/">180,000 members</a>, not all use shooting ranges.</p>
<h2>How are shooters exposed to lead?</h2>
<p>Shooters are exposed to lead when firing lead bullets. The bullet primer is about 35% <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Lead_styphnate">lead styphnate</a> and <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/lead_dioxide#section=Top">lead dioxide</a> (also known as lead peroxide). When a shooter fires a bullet, lead particles and fumes originating from the primer discharge at high pressures from the gun barrel, very close to the shooter. </p>
<p>Shooters are also exposed to lead from the bullet itself as some parts disintegrate into fragments due to misalignments in the gun barrel. The extreme heat during the firing of a bullet results in some vapourisation of these lead fragments.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/163751/original/image-20170403-25858-zx66yo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lead from bullets can fragment and vapourise, exposing shooters to airborne fragments and particles, which they breathe in or ingest.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/465583928?size=medium_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Shooters inhale lead particles emitted during the firing of a gun, whether that’s from the primer or the bullet itself. Once deposited in the lower respiratory tract, lead particles (and different chemical forms of lead) are almost completely absorbed into the bloodstream.</p>
<p>Lead dust from the shooting range also sticks to shooters’ clothes and can potentially contaminate vehicles and homes. Shooters can also ingest lead particles by transferring them from their hands into their mouths when they smoke, eat or drink.</p>
<p>Shooters’ blood lead levels tend to be higher <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3109/10915818909018076">the more bullets shot, the more lead in the air</a> at shooting ranges and the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18654794">increased calibre of weapon</a>.</p>
<h2>What our review found</h2>
<p>We reviewed 36 studies that measured blood lead levels at shooting ranges. The studies were from 15 countries, but most were from the US. About two-thirds of the studies looked at people who used shooting ranges for work.</p>
<p>We found blood lead levels of at least one of the participants in 31 of 36 studies had an elevated blood lead level. This means more than the current adult blood lead reference level of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ables/description.html">5µg/dL</a>, or 5 micrograms of lead per decilitre of blood, as recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.</p>
<p>Importantly, we found elevated blood lead levels (greater than 5µg/dL) in shooters using both indoor and outdoor shooting ranges, consistent with the release of the fine grained primer-based lead close to the shooter’s face and body.</p>
<h2>How does lead affect the body?</h2>
<p>The US National Toxicology Program reviewed the <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/hat/noms/lead/index.html">evidence</a> for health effects associated with chronic lead exposure in adults and children at levels identified in our literature review.</p>
<p>They found such blood lead levels were associated with a range of neurological, psychiatric, fertility and heart problems.</p>
<p>While studies have not specifically investigated all these outcomes in shooters, it is biologically plausible these conditions are associated with raised blood levels resulting from exposure to lead at shooting ranges. But few studies have been conducted on the shooting population to be sure.</p>
<p>There is a particular risk to women of child-bearing age exposed to lead at firing ranges because of the uptake and storage of lead in the mother’s bones where it <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485653/">substitutes for calcium</a>.</p>
<p>This is a particular problem for pregnant women, because the foetus requires calcium from her bones. So the foetus could be exposed to the mother’s lead stores during critical times in development. This could cause <a href="http://www.who.int/ceh/publications/leadguidance.pdf">serious neurological disorders</a> when born. </p>
<p>Female shooters can also pass on the lead exposure to their children through breast milk. Additionally, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5423a1.htm">multiple</a> <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199909093411118#t=article">studies</a> have shown raised blood lead levels in children shooting guns at firing ranges due to direct exposure. Studies <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485653/">show</a> raised blood levels in children are linked with range of health problems. These range from being inattentive, hyperactive and irritable, to delayed growth, decreased intelligence, and short-term memory loss.</p>
<h2>How do we limit lead exposure?</h2>
<p>The ultimate solution to protect the health of shooters is to replace all primers and bullets with lead–free substitutes, which are already available.</p>
<p>We recommend measures such as ensuring adequate exhaust ventilation and wet-cleaning of surfaces at firing ranges, requiring people who work at firing ranges to have their blood lead levels checked, and for similar testing for frequent shooters.</p>
<p>We also recommend shooters be aware of the risks of lead exposure and follow guidelines recommended by health organisations such as the <a href="http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.cste.org/resource/resmgr/OccupationalHealth/ManagementGuidelinesforAdult.pdf">Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists</a> or <a href="http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA/about/Publications/Documents/990/decision-regulation-impact-statement-managing-risks-associated-with-lead-in-the-workplace.pdf">Safe Work Australia</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68220/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabriel Filippelli receives funding from Indiana University through the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Howard Walter Mielke receives funding from ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) and HUD (Housing and Human Development) and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
I am the unenumerated President of Lead Lab, Inc. which is an education and research non-profit organization.
I do not have any conflicts of interest.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Ball, Brian Gulson, and Mark A.S. Laidlaw do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Millions of people who shoot, for work or leisure, risk lead poisoning, according to new research.Mark A.S. Laidlaw, Vice Chancellors Postdoctoral Fellow, RMIT UniversityAndrew Ball, Professor of Environmental Microbiology, RMIT UniversityBrian Gulson, Macquarie UniversityGabriel Filippelli, Professor, IUPUIHoward Walter Mielke, Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, Tulane UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/612572016-06-27T01:31:48Z2016-06-27T01:31:48ZLicense and registration, please: how regulating guns like cars could improve safety<p>In the midst of the Senate’s failure to agree on measures designed to tighten controls around the sales of firearms, a new idea is emerging.</p>
<p>Last week, U.S. Representative Jim Hines, a Democrat from Connecticut, <a href="http://www.cc.com/full-episodes/zdjsso/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-june-20--2016---jim-himes-and-jack-garratt-season-21-ep-21121">appeared</a> on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” and said, “we ought to probably test people and make sure there is as much licensing and regulation around a gun as there is around an automobile.”</p>
<p>He is not the first political figure to suggest this idea. Before the shooting in Orlando, President Obama <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/07/politics/obama-gun-control-town-hall-live-updates/">proposed the same approach at a town hall meeting</a> earlier this year:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>…traffic fatalities have gone down drastically in my lifetime. And part of it is technology. And part of it is that the National Highway Safety Administration does research and they figure out seatbelts really work. And then we pass laws to make sure seatbelts are fastened.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Regulating guns like cars is an interesting idea. And, it wouldn’t require congressional approval.</p>
<p>Compared to the measures proposed in Congress, which amount to prohibitions against socially undesirable persons like terrorists and people who suffer from mental illness, a regulatory approach goes further by focusing on the technology itself. It would create a regulatory framework promoting responsible use of guns.</p>
<p>As sociologists who have studied the <a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo22228665.html">relationship between technologies and social control</a> in <a href="http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520284043">a variety of settings</a>, we believe the history of the automobile shows how such a strategy can make dangerous objects safer, while also preserving private property, individual liberty and personal responsibility.</p>
<h2>How cars were made safe</h2>
<p>The motor vehicle, like the firearm, is a quintessential American object. It expresses values of freedom, individuality and power. And like guns, automobiles were once a major threat to public health and safety.</p>
<p>Early vehicles regularly struck horses and pedestrians in the streets, gave birth to roving criminals like Bonnie and Clyde, and became common settings for sexual assaults. But through a combination of traffic codes, civil liability laws, insurance policies and administrative requirements, the automobile was eventually <a href="http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2106&context=facpubs">made manageable</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127952/original/image-20160623-30267-1pehyz0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Car enters an Auto Emission Inspection Station in 1975.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/4265777209/in/photolist-7uXdWV-7v25iE-7v26gY-7v23Lu-7uXfZV-7uXh6V-7uXgd4-7uXiJ6-7v24zw-7uXkFc-7uXj66-7uXkan-7uXkyM-7uXhht-7v285L-7v22Gw-7v27yQ-7uXiVx-7v22XE-7uXgge-7v2agQ-7v269m-7uXhKZ-9vTZb6-7v28gQ-7v26WJ-7v21Db-7uXdyX-7uXjaT-7uXftV-7uXgQ8-7v25wN-7v22NN-7v27Q3-7uXjYV-7v28n9-7uXfHR-7v29FA-7v24Ks-7uXhp8-7uXgtK-7uXeUc-7uXjog-7uXhve-7uXkk8-7uXeZF-7uXcWz-7uXh4i-7v25eG-7uXg8D">U.S. National Archives/Lyntha Scott Eiler</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Subsequent eras of reform have addressed traffic safety in additional ways by targeting vehicle design (seatbelts and airbags), drunk drivers and distracted driving. As a result, the rate of traffic fatalities has decreased from <a href="http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811346.pdf">more than 15 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled</a> in the 1930s to <a href="http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx">just above 1 per 100 million</a> today.</p>
<h2>Regulating guns like cars</h2>
<p>What would regulating guns like cars look like? </p>
<p>In some regards, we are already there. Operating a firearm, like operating a motor vehicle, requires a license <a href="http://www.gunsandammo.com/network-topics/culture-politics-network/best-states-for-gun-owners-2015/">in many jurisdictions</a>. Certain types of criminal offenses – domestic violence in the case of firearms, drinking and driving in the case of automobiles – can result in a suspension or revocation of that license. These rules focus on the competency of users. </p>
<p>But, the regulation of cars goes beyond this by establishing a larger web of regulatory relationships around the technology itself.</p>
<p>As anyone who owns and operates a car knows, it must also be titled to establish ownership, registered to allow use of public roads and insured to protect owners and victims in the case of vehicle accidents. These requirements <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lasr.12032/abstract">create an incentive for responsible conduct by drivers</a> looking to avoid traffic tickets and insurance premium increases. It also helps finance a network of public and private entities, including police officers and insurance companies, to help keep track of cars.</p>
<p>Trips to the DMV notwithstanding, the regulatory burden of owning and operating a car has done little to diminish Americans’ <a href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/98098/102947.pdf">love affair with the automobile</a>.</p>
<p>Regulating guns like cars would thus require a new set of regulations that would reward the responsible purchase, possession and operation of guns, and build the regulatory framework to enforce it.</p>
<p>This is a more tried and true approach to managing dangerous technologies than the simplistic prohibitionist logic of simply keeping guns away from those we categorize as <a href="https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=84231">“the bad and the mad.”</a></p>
<h2>But, guns aren’t cars</h2>
<p>Some challenges to such an approach can easily be anticipated. </p>
<p>Legally speaking, gun rights supporters would point to the Second Amendment and argue that no mention of motorized vehicles is made in the country’s founding document. But the Fourth Amendment does pronounce “the right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizure,” a protection arguably violated by ordinary traffic stops. We as a society have still been able <a href="https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&doctype=cite&docid=16+Touro+L.+Rev.+393&key=9d61ca82f17dee1ae971ed9618ee82c4">to craft a legal framework</a> that balances this individual liberty with the public interest in vehicle safety. </p>
<p>There are practical differences, too. Cars are highly visible, which facilitates their control. Handguns are largely invisible, with their invisibility increasingly protected by law. This makes their regulation more difficult.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/127964/original/image-20160623-30242-194qrdy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New technology could help monitor guns like cars.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vadot/11210783393">Virginia Department of Transportation</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cars on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/23/why-not-regulate-guns-like-cars/">private property</a> are not subject to state regulations. Yet, most gun deaths take place at home in the form of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html?_r=0">suicides</a>. That means regulating guns like cars would likely not impact the greatest harm caused by firearms.</p>
<h2>A way around gridlock?</h2>
<p>Regulating guns like cars would provide additional safety against guns in the public spaces where the worst mass shootings have occurred – schools, the workplace, churches, dance halls and movie theaters.</p>
<p>Perhaps the best endorsement for regulating guns like cars is that it wouldn’t require congressional approval. States have the latitude to craft the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2011/07/13/the-best-and-worst-states-to-own-a-car/#4091efd864ef">requirements for owning and operating vehicles </a>that suit them best. They could do the same with guns. Following the Supreme Court’s <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/us/politics/supreme-court-gun-control-semiautomatic-connecticut.html">recent decision </a> to not hear a challenge to Connecticut’s ban on assault weapons, states should be emboldened to try more innovative approaches on gun control. </p>
<p>Representative Hines and President Obama are thinking outside of the political box in addressing gun violence. Regulating guns like cars would be neither perfect nor easy. But as Congress continues to debate measures that largely look past the weapons themselves, it would be a welcome move in the national effort to prevent the next Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Newtown, Charleston, San Bernardino or Orlando.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61257/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Guzik has received funding in the past from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary T Marx is affiliated with EPIC.org </span></em></p>As automobile technology advanced, so did our safety measures. UC Denver and MIT sociologists explain how to do the same with guns.Keith Guzik, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado DenverGary T. Marx, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/495732016-03-15T03:46:26Z2016-03-15T03:46:26ZGun control in America by the right (and wrong) numbers<p>United States President Barack Obama continues to push for reform on gun control amid concerns that people will “<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-decries-deadly-kansas-shooting-numb/story?id=37228183">become numb</a>” to any further mass shootings, which he says are now happening on a weekly basis.</p>
<p>His comments followed a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/25/reports-2-dead-hesston-kansas-workplace-shooting/80954886/">shooting in Kansas last month</a> in which three people died and 14 were wounded. </p>
<p>But his attempts to do something have been frustrated by a Congress that reportedly has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-guns-idUSKCN0UQ2O220160113">not approved any major gun-control legislation</a> since the 1990s.</p>
<p>Instead, the president used <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/04/fact-sheet-new-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-and-make-our">executive orders</a> in January to announce new rules on background checks on people wishing to buy guns.</p>
<p>The litany of <a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/GDContent/mass-killings/index.html#explore">tragic gun deaths</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/oct/02/mass-shootings-america-gun-violence">horrifying mass shootings</a> demanded action.</p>
<p>In the aftermath of a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/us/roseburg-oregon-shooting-christopher-harper-mercer.html">mass shooting in Oregon</a> last year, the president <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/after-umpqua-community-college-shooting-us-president-barack-obama-gets-really-angry-about-americas-gun-ownership-laws/story-fnu2q5nu-1227553536147">challenged</a> the media to compare gun deaths to terrorism deaths in the US. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-02/gun-laws-chart-barack-obama/6822342">More</a> <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obamas-challenge-comparing-gun-deaths-terror-deaths">than</a> <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/10/1/9437187/obama-guns-terrorism-deaths">one</a> organisation obliged.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"649715304344481793"}"></div></p>
<p>To put this tweet into perspective, more than twice as many people in the US have died at the point of a gun last year alone as have died in terrorist attacks in all of the preceding 44 years put together.</p>
<p>So following on from the president’s challenge, what else do the numbers say on the gun debate in the US?</p>
<h2>Apples and oranges</h2>
<p>All sides in the debate try to use data to back up their assertions, but not everyone uses it responsibly.</p>
<p>This tweet from the National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the most egregious examples of the misuse of data in the whole debate.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"656930463974469632"}"></div></p>
<p>It compares gun homicides (a deliberate action) with accidental poisonings to create a wholly misleading comparison. </p>
<p>A ratio can only be constructed between like entities, such as the win-loss ratio of your football team.</p>
<p>A comparison such as this from the NRA only generates a rate; in this case there are approximately three accidental poisoning deaths per deliberate gun death. </p>
<p>The conclusion we are invited to draw is that there are bigger problems that we should deal with before gun deaths, but the comparison is meaninglessness.</p>
<p>This is not just poor data skills, it is part of a pattern of cherry-picked comparisons designed to further a political campaign and muddy the public discourse.</p>
<p>The use of gun homicides here is deliberate as it excludes the largest single cause of firearm-related deaths: suicide. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/upshot/gun-deaths-are-mostly-suicides.html">Twice as many people</a> in the US die from a deliberately self-inflicted gunshot wound as are murdered. A fact that makes all gun statistics look much worse. </p>
<p>The NRA would like to exclude these suicides from the debate and, therefore, claim these deaths shouldn’t count against the firearm death toll because <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150918/gun-control-not-associated-with-reducing-suicides">guns don’t increase suicide rates</a>, and if access to guns were restricted potential suicides would simply find another way.</p>
<p>But both of these assertions are <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/sites/default/files/TruthAboutSuicideGuns.pdf">demonstrably</a> <a href="http://www.armedwithreason.com/suicides-the-missing-movement/">false</a>. Research shows that 75% of suicide attempts are made within an hour of making the decision and that using a gun means a much lower likelihood of survival. Restricting access to guns, therefore, could save lives.</p>
<h2>What ranking?</h2>
<p>Another problematic notion is to conflate gun murders with all murders. That leads to such gems as this from the popular conservative blogger and commentator <a href="https://www.billwhittle.com/">Bill Whittle</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pELwCqz2JfE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The takeaway message from this video is that, even though the US ranks number one in per capita gun ownership, it only ranks around 100 in per capita murders.</p>
<p>A fairer comparison would be to compare all the damage caused by firearms (injuries and deaths by whatever means) with gun ownership. Using data collated from the <a href="http://smallarmssurvey.org">Small Arms Survey</a> and <a href="http://gunpolicy.org/">GunPolicy.org</a> the following picture emerges. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/113982/original/image-20160307-30436-2rzo6k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Total damage (combined injuries and death) caused by guns versus the rate of gun ownership. The red line shows the trend.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Only 22 countries are compared here due to the patchy availability and coherence of the injury data, but the trend is very different from the one promulgated by the gun lobby. The red trend line shows that an increase in gun availability increases the rate of injury and death. </p>
<p>Another misdirection practised by the gun lobby is to link gun ownership and crime prevention, but research conducted in the 1990s showed having a gun in your house increased your risk of being murdered by a <a href="http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/twisting-gun-science-and-silencing-researchers/">factor of three</a>.</p>
<p>Like to know more? Well, you can’t. The bill funding the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in the US was amended to remove the funding for <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/12/gun_violence_research_nra_and_congress_blocked_gun_control_studies_at_cdc.html">research on gun violence</a>. Not only that but the ban was also <a href="http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-02/quietly-congress-extends-ban-cdc-research-gun-violence">quietly renewed this year</a>.</p>
<h2>The US vs Australia</h2>
<p>As the US presidential campaign heats up, it will be interesting to see if gun control becomes an election issue. If it does, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the numbers used by various sides in any debate.</p>
<p>Australia’s gun laws entered the debate through Hillary Clinton’s comments that a similar buyback scheme is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/hillary-clinton-gun-buybacks_56216331e4b02f6a900c5d67?section=australia">worth considering</a>.</p>
<p>The reaction from the <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20151016/hillary-clinton-supports-australia-style-gun-confiscation">NRA</a> and other <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/22/hillary-clinton-is-wrong-about-gun-laws-in-australia-and-the-uk/">conservative</a> <a href="http://www.redstate.com/2015/10/16/hillary-clinton-comes-out-in-favor-of-mandatory-gun-confiscation/">organisations</a> was swift and negative. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XM7jxfxjphk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Australia is not a free country because we have gun laws.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Criticism of the effectiveness of Australia’s buyback scheme has centred on the fact that gun deaths were already decreasing and the rate did not change after the new laws and buyback were instituted. A close <a href="http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/10/total_number_of_gun_deaths">look at the data</a> for the years around the buyback shows a different story:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/100714/original/image-20151104-25350-1u4ytbt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gun deaths in Australia before and after the 1996 buyback.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When plotted on a log scale, the trend lines for deaths pre- and post-1997 are identical, showing that the rate was indeed unchanged, but it is clear that the level dropped sharply by around 100 deaths per year following the buyback.</p>
<p>Based on CDC statistics, the gun death rate in the US is 10.4 per 100,000 people. The figure for Australia, based on <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3303.02013?OpenDocument">Australian Bureau of Statistics data</a>, is 0.93 deaths per 100,000 people. </p>
<p>Pause to let that sink in.</p>
<p>You are ten times more likely to die from a gunshot in America than you are in Australia.</p>
<p>I know where I feel safer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49573/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>All sides in the debate on gun control in the United States are quick to point to numbers they say back their arguments. But are they playing fair with those figures?Simon Williams, Lecturer in Mathematics, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/558002016-03-10T11:12:05Z2016-03-10T11:12:05ZAre looser gun laws changing the social fabric of Missouri?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114356/original/image-20160308-22120-1r8i77e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are lax guns laws changing how people interact in the Show-Me State?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMissouriCapitol.jpg">RebelAt of English Wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Missouri is poised to become the latest state to allow guns into college classrooms.</p>
<p>The Republican-led state senate is currently finalizing deliberations on a <a href="http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2015/12/02/sen-dixon-files-bill-allow-concealed-carry-missouri-campuses/76684966/">bill</a> that, if passed, would remove restrictions on carrying concealed weapons on college campuses statewide.</p>
<p>The specter of loaded firearms in college classrooms raises particular <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/A-PowerPoint-Slide-Advises/235418">concerns</a> in no small part because the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2016/02/25/ut-architecture-dean-cites-campus-carry-reason-dep/">dynamics of learning</a> often depend on professors challenging students to step beyond their comfort zones. </p>
<p>But beneath these concerns lies a broader question: do guns change the ways that people engage with each other?</p>
<p>Scholars who research guns and gun violence, <a href="http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdfplus/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302242">myself included</a>, often track the impact of guns through homicide and injury rates. But the impact of guns on <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a52999/guns-and-relationships/">everyday interactions</a>, and instances when guns are neither drawn nor discharged, remains a largely <a href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/does-owning-a-gun-change-your-behavior-.htm">unstudied</a> topic. </p>
<p>So I decided to talk to people about it. I’m a native Missourian, and I went back home for research as part of a book project about guns in everyday life. Last month I interviewed 50 people, including everyday citizens, religious and political leaders and gun-violence prevention advocates in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis about the impact new guns laws are having on social interactions in the state. </p>
<p>Again and again, people with whom I spoke raised concerns, not just about the lethal potential of firearms, but about the ways that allowing guns into previously gun-free communal spaces might impact a host of commonplace civic encounters as well.</p>
<h2>Missouri used to have some of the strictest gun laws in the country</h2>
<p>Missouri used to have among the strictest gun laws in the nation, including a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/health/in-missouri-fewer-gun-restrictions-and-more-gun-killings.html">requirement</a> that handgun buyers undergo background checks in person at sheriffs’ offices before obtaining gun permits. </p>
<p>But over the past 10 years, an increasingly conservative legislature and citizenry <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Missouri">relaxed limitations</a> governing practically every aspect of buying, owning and carrying guns. The legislature relaxed prohibitions on the concealed and <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/1602089/open-carry-ban-overturned-in-missouri/">open carry</a> of firearms in public spaces, lowered the legal age to carry a concealed gun from <a href="http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/09/11/mo-legislators-pass-new-gun-laws/">21 to 19</a> and repealed many of the requirements for comprehensive background checks and purchase permits. </p>
<p>And in 2014 voters approved <a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/10/open_carry_walk_through_gateway_arch_and_citygarden.php">Amendment 5</a> – which effectively <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Right_to_Bear_Arms,_Amendment_5_(August_2014)">negated</a> the rights of cities or towns to pass or enforce practically any form of gun control. </p>
<h2>A natural experiment</h2>
<p>What followed was a state of affairs that <em>The New York Times</em> has described as a “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/health/in-missouri-fewer-gun-restrictions-and-more-gun-killings.html">natural experiment</a>” testing whether more guns led to more safety and less crime. </p>
<p>Instead, according to research, the opposite occurred, in as much as gun deaths soared when it became easier for people to buy and carry firearms. </p>
<p>A team of researchers led by Daniel Webster, director of the <a href="http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/about_us/faculty-staff.html">Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research</a>, <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11524-014-9865-8">analyzed</a> extensive crime data from Missouri and found that the state’s 2007 repeal of its permit-to-purchase handgun law “was associated with a 25 percent increase in firearm homicides rates.” Between 2008 and 2014 the Missouri gun homicide rate rose to 47 percent higher than the national average.</p>
<p>Missouri’s startling rates of gun death made <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/health/in-missouri-fewer-gun-restrictions-and-more-gun-killings.html">national news</a>. At the same time, many people with whom I spoke – and particularly people who did not support recent legislative developments – suggested that loosening gun laws also forced nonarmed citizens to adapt in ways that ranged from acceptance to anxiety to avoidance. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114358/original/image-20160308-22114-8cj9zk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How do citizens adapt to laxer gun laws?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/9129952097/in/photolist-eUMoFc-eRqXZb-569cva-nHBvV-ePcTFu-6rWEjW-e34CW9-9FNFCn-ddawEF-9tmaDY-9chSab-bisWFe-byFGXi-6rWEiU-f3abAB-69uPf7-ptuDqm-ddaDfm-e2XX3c-9Xapt1-58JVL5-2xcWtK-8tKexD-5rw31Z-6rWEp7-remwDj-51CrgJ-6URDGg-isnZvJ-b6heJD-nHBC1-2xcwcD-a6NaqT-nHByw-e2XWFD-8VfD9M-8iGo6P-5mLtF8-65fe67-nHxyf-3Wm4s-p6vQv5-9JrKUj-c6vRGL-p5mEC-bUeyBD-isnGH3-7X6FcD-isobRX-p5mEL">Thomas Hawk/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Heightening racial tensions</h2>
<p>For instance, a number of African Americans I interviewed worried that guns heightened racial tensions.</p>
<p>I met a man named John Steen who now thinks twice about shopping at Sam’s Club. Steen, a Vietnam veteran who works in Kansas City, used to stop by the wholesale megastore on his way home from his job as a home health-care provider. But that was before he saw armed white men strolling through the aisles exerting what gun proponents describe as their “<a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2014/10/20/gun-rights-supporters-head-to-gateway-arch-citygarden-to-test-missouris-new-gun-laws-updates">unalienable</a>” rights to carry firearms into public spaces including retail stores. </p>
<p>For Steen and other African Americans in Kansas City, the result was often intimidation. “I see white guys and their sons walking around Sam’s Club, Walmart, and other places where we shop, strolling with guns on their hips like it’s the wild west,” he told me. “They’re trying to be all macho, like they have power because of their guns, walking down the aisles. It just makes me…stay away.”</p>
<p>Subverting the traditional narrative of racial anxiety, African Americans often cited the charged implications of white citizens brandishing guns in mixed race settings – a narrative that played out writ large in downtown St. Louis after the passage of <a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/10/open_carry_walk_through_gateway_arch_and_citygarden.php">Amendment 5</a> and just months before protests began in nearby Ferguson when white Missouri open-carry advocates <a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2014/10/20/gun-rights-supporters-head-to-gateway-arch-citygarden-to-test-missouris-new-gun-laws-updates">paraded</a> through the streets waving handguns, long guns and assault rifles.</p>
<p>For Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, events such as these illustrate a double standard through which society codes white gun owners as “protectors” and black gun owners as “threats.”</p>
<p>As Pastor of Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church in Jefferson City, Gould led an intense debate among her congregants after the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2015 that yielded a decision to ban guns in their house of worship. For Gould, “even though I want us to be protected, I can’t escape the fact that these are the same guns that are oppressing communities of color in our state.”</p>
<h2>Accidental shootings are up</h2>
<p>The complexities of parenting in a milieu surrounded by firearms emerged as another theme. </p>
<p>In Missouri there are now virtually no remaining laws governing gun safety or storage. And the state now <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/14/people-are-getting-shot-by-toddlers-on-a-weekly-basis-this-year/">leads the nation</a> in accidental shootings by toddlers – instances where <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/mary-sanchez/article62741097.html">young children</a> find unlocked guns and accidentally discharge them. </p>
<p>In response, the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action signed onto a <a href="http://momsdemandaction.org/in-the-news/everytown-and-moms-demand-action-notanaccident-index-finds-at-least-five-unintentional-child-shootings-in-missouri-in-2015/">BeSmart</a> <a href="http://www.besmartforkids.org">campaign</a> promoting safety steps including training parents to secure guns in their homes and ask about proper firearm storage before dropping children off at a friend’s house. </p>
<p>As Becky Morgan, Missouri Chapter Lead for Moms puts it when we spoke, “this is a new step to parents are taking to look out for our children’s safety. We already ask about food allergies, pet allergies and pools. Now we ask if firearms are in the home, are they stored properly out of children’s reach?” </p>
<p>“I’ve seen people with guns in their belts at the supermarket,” a Columbia parent named Megan White added. “It makes me reconsider bringing my kid on shopping trips.”</p>
<p>Caution surrounds a host of everyday interactions as well. Consultant Jeff Fromm thinks about armed motorists when he drives to and from work in downtown Kansas City. “I try not to drive too close to other cars on the highway, or pass in front of anyone at a stoplight. Road rage takes on a whole new meaning when you don’t know who’s going to be armed.” </p>
<h2>Changing the fabric of social interactions?</h2>
<p>Thoughts about gun proliferation even impact exchanges in the halls of power that passed gun legislation on the first place. </p>
<p>Democratic Missouri State Representative Stacey Newman worries that many legislators and their staff carry concealed weapons during heated debates on the House floor. </p>
<p>“With new laws, capital security can no longer ask lawmakers to check their firearms at the door,” she explained. “And I often find it quite unnerving that the people I’m working with or arguing against might well be carrying secret guns during our legislative sessions.”</p>
<p>To be sure, notions of an armed society are precisely what many pro-gun-rights Missourians and legislators envision and support. </p>
<p>John L., an advertising consultant who asked that his last name not be used, told me that he appreciates being able to carry a concealed firearm when he visits printing factories and other work sites. “I’ve been robbed before,” he explained. “The thought that I can carry a gun just makes me feel safer.” </p>
<p>Linda Hopkins, owner of Smokin’ Guns BBQ in North Kansas City, told me that she welcomes customers who carry concealed weapons and feels far more angered by “food prices and intrusive government regulations.” </p>
<p>For these and other reasons, <a href="http://www.gunsandammo.com/network-topics/culture-politics-network/best-states-for-gun-owners-2014/">Guns and Ammo</a> magazine recently cited Missouri as “ahead of the curve when it comes to gun rights” and a “<a href="http://www.gunsandammo.com/network-topics/culture-politics-network/best-states-for-gun-owners-2015">top state for gun owners</a>” thanks in large part to legislation allowing concealed carry.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114365/original/image-20160308-22132-6r958h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Will firearms on campus change how faculty and students interact?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-323154608/stock-photo-lecture-chairs-in-a-class-room-with-stair-path-in-the-middle-of-a-class.html?src=13fWw8PWDExfEQ0LrdPKCg-2-5">Lecture hall image via www.shutterstock.com.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But a number of Missourians with whom I spoke felt otherwise. Their concerns seemed to provide broader context for questions of civic engagement, power relations, and conflict resolution that lie at the core of debates about allowing guns into college classrooms. And more broadly, the experiences of Missourians suggest a need for more research into ways that allowing guns into the public sphere might impact otherwise quotidian social interactions. </p>
<p>Newman, the state representative, particularly worries about the effect that guns will have on the “psyches of our children” who go to college to learn and grow in a safe environment, and instead may soon encounter classrooms where guns and armed confrontations remain “constant possibilities.” For Newman, the issue hit home when her daughter enrolled in grad school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. “As a parent this is my worst nightmare.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile Steen, the home health provider, has seen enough of guns in his lifetime. “I was in Vietnam with the U.S. military, I saw what it means to draw a gun and shoot another person, it’s devastating. Trust me…most of these people have no idea.”</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was updated to correct the institution that Missouri State Representative Stacey Newman’s daughter attends.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55800/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan M. Metzl is also research director of the Safe Tennessee Project, <a href="http://safetennesseeproject.org/">http://safetennesseeproject.org/</a></span></em></p>Do guns change the ways that people engage with each other? A gun violence researcher went to Missouri to find out.Jonathan M. Metzl, Director, Center for Medicine, Health, and Society; Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/528532016-01-11T11:08:58Z2016-01-11T11:08:58ZWhat makes a ‘smart gun’ smart?<p>Every time a toddler accidentally shoots a friend or family member, a teen kills himself via gunshot or a shooter perpetrates an act of mass violence, public discussion circles back to “smart gun” technology. The concept has roots in a <a href="http://infoserve.sandia.gov/sand_doc/2001/013499.pdf">1995 National Institute of Justice (NIJ) study</a> that recommended a technology-based approach to reduce the incidence of police officers killed in gun-grabs by assailants. More recently, President Obama’s message on gun violence included <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/05/memorandum-promoting-smart-gun-technology">specific recommendations</a> on federal actions designed to promote the development and commercialization of electronic gun-safety systems.</p>
<p>The term “smart gun” has been embraced by the popular press as a catchall for all forms of electronic personalized safety technology. The idea is to make sure a gun can be fired only by its authorized user. But the different scenarios in which a gun could be inappropriately discharged call for fundamentally different safety systems. </p>
<p>The metaphor of a common door lock is a useful way to think about the various technological approaches. The key serves as the personal identifier. The pin tumblers that recognize the key inside the lock serve as the authenticator. And the latch serves as the block. All electronic gun safety systems must accomplish all three of these basic functions – identify authorized shooters, authenticate their credentials and then release the block to the firing mechanism.</p>
<p>How one satisfies those needs is subject to the performance constraints of the application environment and the physical constraints of the weapon itself. These differences create distinct branches on the family tree of personalized-weapons technology.</p>
<h2>Proximity sensors – can you hear me now?</h2>
<p>One group of solutions owes its heritage to the NIJ study focused on protecting police weapons from takeaway during a close quarters struggle. It suggested a token-based proximity sensor using Radio Frequency Identification (<a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/technology-explained-how-do-rfid-tags-work/">RFID</a>). A number of working RFID prototype guns have been demonstrated, beginning with Colt’s 1996 <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-09-19/news/9609190186_1_smart-gun-officer-s-head-police-officers">handgun</a> and including <a href="http://www.triggersmart.com/Pages/OurTechnology.aspx">Triggersmart</a>, <a href="http://www.iguntechnology.com/explore/index">iGun M-2000</a> and the <a href="http://www.armatix.us/Smart-System.778.0.html?&L=7">Armatix iP1</a>.</p>
<p>In a badge, wristband or ring, a user wears a passive RFID tag, like those embedded in products to prevent shoplifting. It’s the “token” and serves as the key in the front door metaphor. Like a physical key, it can be duplicated or shared. What matters is possession of the token, not the identity of the token holder.</p>
<p>A wireless RFID reader is built into the gun and serves the role of authenticator. It generates a signal that activates the RFID tag to respond with an embedded code. If there’s a match, the electromechanical components unblock the weapon firing system and the gun functions normally. The response time of these systems is generally dependent on the choice of electromechanical components used in the blocking system (e.g., servomotors, solenoids, <a href="http://web.stanford.edu/%7Erichlin1/sma/sma.html">shape memory metals</a>), but are generally less than half a second. By design, the gun can remain active as long as there is a signal link, or in some configurations as long as pressure sensors detect the gun is being held.</p>
<p>If the tag is too far away from the transmitter to self-activate and respond, then it’s like losing your key to the front door – the gun remains locked down. The Armatix iP1, for example, specifies a range of <a href="http://www.armatix.com/iP1-Limited-Edition.804.0.html?&L=7">15 inches</a>. If you try to spoof the transponder with a signal that does not contain the individual code, it’s like using the wrong key – it may fit the slot but cannot be turned because it does not match the tumblers – and the gun remains locked down.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1061&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1061&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1061&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1333&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107687/original/image-20160109-8702-96a6ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1333&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The iGun’s RFID-type system is locked in the upper photo. In the inset, a user’s tag (in the form of a ring) is close enough and the weapon is ready to fire, with the firing mechanism no longer blocked.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.iguntechnology.com/">iGun Technology Corp</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Various designs interfere with the mechanical firing mechanism in different places – from trigger bar to firing pin. There are also different technologies including solenoid actuators, shape memory alloy-based components and even electronic firing systems that serve as the deadbolt to be released upon receiving an authentication system. The details are proprietary to the individual products on the market and reflect design trade-offs in power consumption, free space to accommodate components and response time.</p>
<p>Proximity of gun to token is not an absolute determinant of rightful possession during a close-quarters struggle. But the technology does offer simplicity of operation, easy weapons exchange across permitted users (i.e., partners) and reliably disables a weapon from use if the officer has been overpowered and the duty weapon taken.</p>
<h2>Biometrics – do I know you?</h2>
<p>The benefits of a token-based system in a street encounter become a liability in the home. The viability of the approach is wholly dependent on the owner securing the token where it cannot be accessed by denied users. But guns used for home protection are more likely to have token and weapon stored together to prevent any delay in the event of an intrusion. And anyone who has both the token and the weapon can fire it.</p>
<p>A second group of technologies evolved in response to child-safe handgun legislation adopted in <a href="http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2002/Bills/PL02/130_.HTM">New Jersey</a> and <a href="http://smartgunlaws.org/personalized-owner-authorized-firearms-in-maryland/">Maryland</a> in the early 2000s, designed to prevent unauthorized use of personal firearms stored in the home. Biometric authentication systems eliminate the physical token. Instead, a measurable physical characteristic of any authorized user becomes the key. It can’t be taken without permission, counterfeit or otherwise transferred.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107688/original/image-20160109-8731-1yg4zbb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Various groups are working on different ways to use fingerprint recognition to authenticate whose hand is on a gun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://kaikloepfer.com/">Kai Kloepfer</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>To date, fingerprints have been the primary attribute used in biometric systems. Kodiak Arms <a href="http://kodiakarms.com/product/intelligun/">Intelligun</a> and Safe Gun Technology’s <a href="http://www.safeguntechnology.co/">retrofit</a> for rifles use fingerprint detection as a primary mode of security. If the fingerprint is the key, then the sensor and pattern matching software are the pin tumblers that perform the authentication function in these guns. </p>
<p>The most widely used sensor technology relies on capacitance imaging of the fingerprint. The variation in distance between the ridges and grooves of the finger and the sensor plate creates a distribution of electrical charge storage (capacitance) that can be measured in an array of conductor plates in the <a href="http://biometrics.nist.gov/cs_links/pact/SSFS_113005.pdf">sensor</a>. Other fingerprint sensors rely on infrared (thermal) imaging, and some use pressure detection to create a digital pattern that is a unique representation of the print.</p>
<p>The sensor software needs to be trained to store acceptable patterns that may represent different fingers of a single user or various fingers from multiple authorized users. After that, any pattern that doesn’t match within some specified tolerance is rejected. The reliability of the authentication process is influenced by the resolution of the sensor, the extent and orientation of the exposed finger, and physical factors that can interfere with the mapping. For example, moisture on the finger can defeat a capacitive detector, cold fingers can reduce the reliability of thermal imaging, and dirt, paint or gloves can obscure the fingerprint beyond recognition.</p>
<p>There are other types of biometric security being explored. One prototype sponsored by NIJ adopted <a href="http://www.hidglobal.com/products/biometrics/lumidigm/lumidigm-v-series-fingerprint-sensors">vascular biometrics</a> that detect the blood vessel structure below the skin surface. An emerging class of biometrics are dynamic or <a href="http://cecs.louisville.edu/ry/Behavioral.pdf">behavioral</a> and combine some element of individualized physicality amplified by learned patterns of behavior. For instance, voice identification combines the structure of one’s vocal chords with the breath patterns of speech learned in infancy. Electronic signature authentication captures the speed and pressure of pen on LCD pad (and not the image of the signature) as the signer executes handwriting in a pattern ingrained early in life.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107696/original/image-20160110-8710-1ukrqzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">NJIT prototype with Dynamic Grip Recognition™ sensors embedded in the handgun grip.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Donald Sebastian</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Over the last 15 years, our research team at NJIT has developed a gun safety system based on a <a href="http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1226.pdf">novel behavioral biometric</a> called Dynamic Grip Recognition™ (DGR). The team <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/IECON.2005.1569229">demonstrated</a> that changes over time to the pressure pattern created on the grip of a handgun as one counter-braces the force of trigger pull were individual to the user, reproducible and measurable. </p>
<p>Our prototype detects grip patterns during the first 1/10th of a second of trigger pull and unlocks the weapon with no apparent lag to the shooter. Because DGR works during trigger pull of a properly held weapon, the approach can also reduce accidental firings during mishandling of a loaded weapon.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The author describes personalized weapons research at NJIT.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Reliability – can I trust you?</h2>
<p>Reliability is always a concern raised in discussions of electronic gun safety systems.</p>
<p>The interior of a firing weapon is not a friendly environment for electronics, but there is now a sufficient history of ruggedized circuitry that failure rates of the underlying electronic hardware are orders of magnitude less than the predicted failure rates of the mechanical weapon (somewhere between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 depending on the precision and quality of the weapon). </p>
<p>Power is clearly a concern here, too. But advances in microprocessor technology and battery storage that have been driven by smart phones and portable electronics remove this issue as a show stopper. Motion detection and wake-up software can reduce battery drain during storage. Integrating the power supply to the ammunition clip and even charging by mechanical cycling are all ways to address power loss as a mode of failure.</p>
<p>In biometric systems, there is another element to consider: failure of the identification algorithm. Those are false negatives in which a rightful user is not recognized, or false positives in which an impostor is wrongly authenticated. The recognition rates for fingerprint detectors have been claimed to be as high as <a href="https://smarttechfoundation.org/smart-firearms-technology/kai-kloepfer/">99.99 percent</a> (1 in 10,000 failure rate).</p>
<p>As the array of sensor technologies grows, one might expect a multisensor or multispectral approach to be the ultimate choice for biometric-based systems. These have the advantage of multiplying reliability rates when independent measures are used. For example, a fingerprint sensor with a 1-in-10,000 failure rate, coupled with a dynamic grip recognition with a failure rate of 1 in 1000, would produce a combined reliability of 1 in 10,000 x 1000 or 1 in 10,000,000.</p>
<h2>Will we ever be able to buy one?</h2>
<p>Throughout the 20-year-long discussion of “smart guns,” the topic has been a lightning rod for debate between pro- and anti-gun lobbies. But too often, there isn’t substantive knowledge of the underlying technologies, their appropriate use and their design limitations. </p>
<p>Personalized weapons technology can make a contribution to reducing death and injury from accidental or unauthorized weapons use. It is not a panacea – the technology can’t stop shootings like Virginia Tech, Aurora or Sandy Hook, where lawfully purchase weapons were used. But it can be an option for gun buyers to ensure their weapons never fall into the wrong hands.</p>
<p>The existing platforms show that smart guns are not science fiction and could be a commercial reality much sooner than later. A <a href="https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/242500.pdf">recent survey</a> by the NIJ identified 13 different personalized weapon systems, at least three of which were deemed to be in commercial preproduction. Obama’s initiative could be an important step to accelerate development and promote private sector investment necessary to mature these technologies to the point of reliability and affordability that will spur consumer adoption.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52853/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donald Sebastian is President & Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology corporation that applies the intellectual and technological resources of the state’s science and technology university to challenges identified by industry partners. NJIT holds patents on the DGR technology described in this article. In the past, NJIT has received federal grants managed by the National Institute of Justice and grants from the State of New Jersey to conduct the research and development of their biometrically controlled handgun prototype.</span></em></p>President Obama’s call for better electronic gun-safety systems put a spotlight on the technologies currently in the R&D pipeline that aim to make sure only authorized users can fire a gun.Donald Sebastian, Professor of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.