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Exploring Firearm Access, Carriage, and Possession among Justice-Involved Youth

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Abstract

Firearm carriage and possession predicts youth firearm violence victimization and perpetration. This study describes self-reported factors associated with firearm access, carriage, and possession among justice-involved youth. We conducted an exploratory, mixed-methods study. Participants were recruited from May 2022 to February 2023 from the Juvenile Justice Collaborative, a diversion program for justice-involved youth. We used online anonymous surveys to investigate exposures related to firearm access, carriage, and possession. We performed semi-structured interviews using the phenomenology framework. We used descriptive statistics to examine firearm exposures by participant demographics. We performed qualitative analyses using an iterative approach with constant comparison to identify key themes. We completed 28 surveys and 5 interviews. Most survey participants identified as male (57%) and Black (61%) with a median age of 18 years. Interview participants described the socialization and cultural normalization of firearms, most prominently among peers. Survey participants reported whether they had ever carried (25%) or possessed (21%) a firearm. Survey and interview participants endorsed protection in the context of increasing violence exposure over time as the primary motivation for firearm possession. Interview participants describe accessing firearms primarily through social networks while survey participants also reported access from strangers (25%) and licensed sellers/gun dealers (18%). In conclusion, justice-involved youth believe firearm carriage and possession may be needed for protection due to increasing violence exposure. Further investigation is necessary to determine interventions that may decrease firearm access, carriage, and possession among justice-involved youth.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express gratitude to the youth who participated in this study for their contribution to improving firearm violence for future youth. This work was conducted with support from faculty and staff in the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation Center’s Catalyst, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Funding

This research was funded by the Grainger Research Program in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The funders had no role in any aspect of the research including the study design and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 East Chicago Avenue, Box 62, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Samaa Kemal & Karen Sheehan

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Samaa Kemal, Lauren Jones-Robinson & Karen Sheehan

  3. Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communitiese, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Kevin Rak, Cassandra Otoo & Karen Sheehan

  4. Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation Center, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    Leonardo Barrera

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  1. Samaa Kemal
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  4. Cassandra Otoo
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection were performed by Samaa Kemal, Kevin Rak, and Cassandra Otoo. Data analysis were performed by Samaa Kemal, Lauren Jones-Robinson and Leonardo Barrera with supervision by Karen Sheehan. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Samaa Kemal and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Samaa Kemal.

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Kemal, S., Jones-Robinson, L., Rak, K. et al. Exploring Firearm Access, Carriage, and Possession among Justice-Involved Youth. J Community Health (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-024-01356-3

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