At a glance
Researchers at the University of Washington have learned about patterns and associations of handgun carrying unique to youth in rural areas and how to better impact key risk factors for firearm violence.
Initial findings
University of Washington researchers first looked at national survey data. They found that handgun carrying by youth has increased by the largest amount in the country's most rural areas, rising from 5.2% in 2003 to 12.4% in 2019.
When they looked closer at patterns of handgun carrying over time in seven states, they found that the earliest average age when youth in rural areas started carrying guns was 12 years old. On average, youth who carried handguns had higher odds of engaging in physical violence, like fights or assaults, in adolescence.
In another analysis, the research team found that youth who carry guns to school are at higher risk for having attacked someone. Among these youth, 84% reported attacking someone with the idea of hurting them, compared to 51% of youth who carried a gun but not to school, and 23% of those who never carried a gun.
University of Washington researchers also studied the impact of a violence prevention system known as Communities That Care. This program provides a formal structure for local partners to select and implement the most relevant evidence-based programs. They found that middle and high school students in rural towns implementing the program were 27% less likely to carry a handgun in the past year. The results underscore the potential for early prevention programs to reduce the risk for firearm injury and violence.
Read this research:
- Rural-Urban Variation in the Association of Adolescent Violence and Handgun Carrying in the United States, 2002-2019.
- Trajectories of Handgun Carrying in Rural Communities From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood.
- Bullying and physical violence and their association with handgun carrying among youth growing up in rural areas.
- School Handgun Carrying Among Youth Growing Up in Rural Communities.
- The association of alcohol use and heavy drinking with subsequent handgun carrying among youth from rural areas.
- Effect of the Communities That Care Prevention System on Adolescent Handgun Carrying.