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Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Swanson, JW; Tong, G; Easter, MM; Sivaraman, JC; Gifford, EJ; Gardner, BO; Donnelly, EA; Evans, KE; Copeland, WE; Swartz, MS; Bonnie, RJ
Published in: Prev Med
December 2022

Youth who acquire a juvenile crime record may be at increased risk of perpetrating gun violence as adults. North Carolina and 22 other states permit young adults who were adjudicated by a juvenile court - even for some felony-equivalent offenses - to legally access firearms. Effectiveness of gun restrictions for adults with juvenile crime histories has not been systematically studied. This article reports findings from a longitudinal study of arrests and convictions for gun-involved and other offenses in 51,059 young adults in North Carolina, comparing those with gun-disqualifying and not-disqualifying juvenile records. The annualized rate of arrest for gun-involved crime in those with a felony-level juvenile record was 9 times higher than the rate of reported comparable offenses in the same age group in the North Carolina general population (3349 vs. 376 per 100,000). Among those with a felony-equivalent juvenile delinquency adjudication who became legally eligible to possess firearms at age 18, 61.8% were later arrested for any criminal offense, 14.3% for a firearm-involved offense. Crimes with guns were most likely to occur among young adults who had committed more serious (felony or equivalent) offenses before age 18; had been adjudicated at younger ages; acquired a felony conviction as a youth; and spent time in prison. The prevalence of arrests for crimes involving guns among young adults in North Carolina with a gun-disqualifying felony record acquired before age 18 suggests that the federal gun prohibitor conferred by a felony record is not highly effective as currently implemented in this population. From a risk-based perspective, these restrictions appear to be justified; better implementation and enforcement may improve their effectiveness. Gun crime prevention policies and interventions should focus on these populations and on limiting illegal access to firearms.

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Published In

Prev Med

DOI

EISSN

1096-0260

Publication Date

December 2022

Volume

165

Issue

Pt A

Start / End Page

107279

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Public Health
  • North Carolina
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Gun Violence
  • Firearms
  • Crime
  • Adolescent
  • 4206 Public health
 

Citation

APA
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MLA
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Swanson, J. W., Tong, G., Easter, M. M., Sivaraman, J. C., Gifford, E. J., Gardner, B. O., … Bonnie, R. J. (2022). Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk. Prev Med, 165(Pt A), 107279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107279
Swanson, Jeffrey W., Guangyu Tong, Michele M. Easter, Josie Caves Sivaraman, Elizabeth J. Gifford, Brett O. Gardner, Ellen A. Donnelly, et al. “Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk.Prev Med 165, no. Pt A (December 2022): 107279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107279.
Swanson JW, Tong G, Easter MM, Sivaraman JC, Gifford EJ, Gardner BO, et al. Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk. Prev Med. 2022 Dec;165(Pt A):107279.
Swanson, Jeffrey W., et al. “Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk.Prev Med, vol. 165, no. Pt A, Dec. 2022, p. 107279. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107279.
Swanson JW, Tong G, Easter MM, Sivaraman JC, Gifford EJ, Gardner BO, Donnelly EA, Evans KE, Copeland WE, Swartz MS, Bonnie RJ. Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk. Prev Med. 2022 Dec;165(Pt A):107279.
Journal cover image

Published In

Prev Med

DOI

EISSN

1096-0260

Publication Date

December 2022

Volume

165

Issue

Pt A

Start / End Page

107279

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Public Health
  • North Carolina
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Gun Violence
  • Firearms
  • Crime
  • Adolescent
  • 4206 Public health