Disentangling the Effects of Violent Victimization, Violent Behavior, and Gun Carrying for Minority Inner-City Youth Living in Extreme Poverty

Abstract

sample of high school students (CDC, 2007). In addition, Cook and Laub (2002) noted that use of guns in homicides after the peak in youth violence in the early 1990s has dropped very little during the late 1990s and gun use in homicides has increased for several types of homicides (felony-type and gang related) during the late 1990s. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control has advocated for the reduction and/or elimination of gun carrying among youth to prevent firearm injuries and fatalities, which would have a substantial impact on reducing the level of youth violence within high poverty, inner city neighborhoods (Rivara, 2002). The CDC recommendation is not surprising given that both state and national laws prohibit unsupervised gun carrying by youth due to their lack of maturity and a propensity to engage in violent behavior (Cook & Ludwig, 2004). However, we could find no studies that have attempted to disentangle the effects of violent victimization, violent behavior, and gun carrying among inner city youth. One reason for this oversight is that most individual level studies of the determinants of gun carrying utilize cross-sectional data (e.g., Cao et al., 1997), which include a handful that have focused specifically on youth gun carrying (e.g., Sheley & Wright, 1993). Several longitudinal studies using the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) data have focused on gun carrying by adolescents, but have not simultaneously examined the impact of violent victimization and violent behavior on gun carrying (Lizotte et al. 2000; Lizotte et al. 1994). As a result, it is unclear if gun carrying is a consequence of violent victimization and/or violent behavior (Spano et al., 2008).

Weapon-carrying and the reduction of violent harm

“…The effect sizes for the latter (e.g. Bolland, 2013 andHemenway et al 2011, reported odds ratios of 4.70 or greater) were typically stronger than for the former (usually up to an odds ratio of 2: McVie, 2010;Saukkonen et al 2016).…”

“…Secondly, Spano and Bolland (2013) found that controlling for baseline violent victimisation neutralised any statistically significant relationship between baseline violent offending and gun-carrying at one-year follow-up. However, a more complex analysis in their later paper (Spano et al 2012), which accommodated victim-offender overlap, reversed the findings and gave greater weight to violent offending as an explanation of weapon-carrying.…”

Investigating the Relationship Between Gang Membership and Carrying a Firearm: Results from a National Sample

“…Youth and young adults are more likely to carry guns illegally when engaged in the drug trade (Sheley & Wright, 1993;Lizotte et al, 1997Lizotte et al, , 2000, because their friends carried a gun (Sheley & Wright, 1993;Sheley & Brewer, 1995;Webster, Gainer, & Champion 1993;Lizotte et al, 1997), in the commission of a crime (Sheley & Wright, 1993;Sheley & Brewer, 1995), and when they have an arrest record (Webster et al, 1993). Violent behavior and victimization each have strong connections to illegal gun carrying (Spano & Bolland, 2013;Spano, Pridemore, & Bolland, 2011). Exposure to violence can also include acquiring a gun due to a perceived need for protection (Sheley & Wright, 1993;Sheley & Brewer, 1995;Spano et al, 2011;Spano & Bolland, 2013).…”

“…Violent behavior and victimization each have strong connections to illegal gun carrying (Spano & Bolland, 2013;Spano, Pridemore, & Bolland, 2011). Exposure to violence can also include acquiring a gun due to a perceived need for protection (Sheley & Wright, 1993;Sheley & Brewer, 1995;Spano et al, 2011;Spano & Bolland, 2013). Gang membership has also been shown to consistently be a correlate of illegal gun carrying (Lizotte et al, 1997(Lizotte et al, , 2000Bjerregaard & Lizotte, 1995;Decker, Pennell, & Caldwell, 1996;Bennett & Holloway, 2004;Luster & Oh, 2001;Hayes & Hemenway, 1999).…”

“…The majority of these studies use either high-risk populations Lizotte et al, 2000;Spano et al, 2011;Spano & Bolland, 2013), incarcerated populations (Sheley & Wright, 1993, 1995, all male populations (Hayes & Hemenway, 1999;Lizotte et al, 1997Lizotte et al, , 2000Luster & Oh, 2001) or use only one racial designation (Webster et al, 1993;Spano et al, 2008Spano et al, , 2011Spano & Bolland, 2013). There have been limited studies that use samples drawn from a general population.…”