Firearm ownership in California: A latent class analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine whether firearm ownership and ownership-related motivations and practices can be classified into reasonably distinct types.MethodsCross-sectional data on firearm owners (n=429) were obtained from the 2018 California Safety and Well-Being Survey, a state-representative web-based survey. We conducted a latent class analysis using six self-reported indicators of firearm ownership: (1) number of firearms owned, (2) types of firearms owned, (3) primary reason for firearm ownership, (4) firearm storage, (5) loaded handgun carrying and (6) high-capacity magazine ownership.ResultsWe identified five markedly different classes of firearm ownership. There were two classes of single-firearm owners and three classes of multiple-firearm owners. Only members of one class (9% of owners) were likely to have carried a loaded handgun and to own high-capacity magazines or assault-type weapons. Members of this class were also likely to own 5+ firearms, own for protection against people, and store a firearm in the least secure manner (loaded and unlocked).ConclusionThere were distinct classes of firearm ownership in California, and all higher-risk behaviours studied were exhibited disproportionately by members of a single class. This latent class structure, which may help identify higher-risk groups of firearm owners, could inform future research on risk assessment and on focused interventions to reduce firearm injury and death.

Firearm ownership and acquisition in California: findings from the 2018 California Safety and Well-being Survey

“…Other research by the authors has demonstrated the existence of distinct typologies of firearm ownership based in part on the number and types of firearms owned, with owners of five or more firearms, including assault-type weapons, more likely to store at least one firearm loaded and unlocked, to own high-capacity magazines, and to have carried a loaded handgun for self-protection in the past 30 days 11. Future research will examine the extent to which these patterns of ownership may be associated with other risk factors for firearm death and injury.…”

Violence, firearms, and the coronavirus pandemic: Findings from the 2020 California Safety and Wellbeing Survey

“…Although the perceived need for selfprotection continues to motivate firearm ownership amid the pandemic, an extensive body of evidence suggests instead that the presence of a firearm in the home elevates risk for firearmrelated harm, particularly unintentional shootings (often involving children), female homicide victimization, and completed suicide. [14][15][16][17] More concerning, perhaps, is that people who own firearms primarily for protection are more likely to store firearms in the home loaded and/or not locked up, 25 an independent risk factor for firearm injury and death. Our findings suggest the pandemic may contribute to this risk: an estimated 55,000 people (1.2% of owners in the state) who currently store at least one firearm loaded and not locked up reported adopting this unsecure storage practice in response to the pandemic.…”

Firearm Ownership Among LGBT Adults in California

“…This weight also included corrections to align opt-in respondents with those from KP based on standard sociodemographic characteristics, factors known to differentiate opt-in and probability-based samples, and additional sources of nonsampling errors. Further details on survey methodology are provided elsewhere (Kravitz-Wirtz et al 2019;Schleimer et al 2019).…”