Gun Accessibility - Collateral Follow-up
This measure appears in the following time-points: Collat12, Collat24, Collat36.
Related Construct
Description of Measure
The availability of guns contributes to gun violence and injuries among adolescents in several ways. Gun violence is most likely to occur in and around locations where guns are easily purchased. Once purchased, adolescents often carry guns, increasing the probability of violence. The presence of guns facilitates acquisitive violence such as robbery, and increases the risks that robberies will involve injury to the victim. Possession of a gun by one or more persons in an interpersonal dispute increases the likelihood of serious injury, and makes deadly retaliation more likely in their aftermath. Gun violence by teenagers most often involves one of two types of guns: handguns (.38mm) and automatic weapons (9 mm). To assess the availability of guns and estimate the presence of gun markets as part of the neighborhood context, we ask the collateral reporter their view of how easy it is for teenagers to purchase guns in their neighborhood, and the estimated prices of the two types of guns most commonly carried and used by adolescents.
The following items are available for this measure:
- If a young person in this neighborhood wants to buy a gun, he/she can. [C#guncan]
- How much would it cost to buy a 9mm gun. [C#cost9mm]
- How much would it cost to buy a .38mm gun. [C#cost38]
Data Issues
- All items in this measure are skipped if the collateral reporter does not live in the same neighborhood as the subject and if they did not spend any time in that neighborhood over the past year (the latter is established in variable C#collat1_Neitim. This item can be found in the Neighborhood Conditions measure).
References
- Nagin, D. S., and Paternoster, R. (1994). Personal capital and social control: the deterrence implications of a theory of individual differences of offending. Criminology, 32, 581-673.
- Williams, H.R., and Hawkins, R. (1986). Perceptual research on general deterrence: A Critical Overview. Law and Society Review, 20, 545-572.
- Grasmick, H.G. and Bursik, R.J., Jr. (1990). Conscience, significant others, and rational choice: extending the deterrence model. Law and Society Review, 24, 837-861.