Gun violence among young adults with a juvenile crime record in North Carolina: Implications for firearm restrictions based on age and risk.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
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.
Full Text
Duke Authors
- Copeland, William Everett
- Easter, Michele
- Gifford, Elizabeth Joanne
- Swanson, Jeffrey W.
- Swartz, Marvin Stanley
Cited Authors
- Swanson, JW; Tong, G; Easter, MM; Sivaraman, JC; Gifford, EJ; Gardner, BO; Donnelly, EA; Evans, KE; Copeland, WE; Swartz, MS; Bonnie, RJ
Published Date
- December 2022
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 165 / Pt A
Start / End Page
- 107279 -
PubMed ID
- 36191654
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1096-0260
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107279
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States