Expert: Bruen test is out of step and unworkable in practice, hopeful SCOTUS will provide guidance on evaluating future firearms restrictions

“The case U.S. v. Rahimi is the first opportunity since New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen for the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its application to a firearms restriction. I am particularly interested to see if the…

Survivors of firearm injury carry long term physical and mental burdens that are poorly understood

A timely research report evaluating firearm injury survivors has found that despite medical advancements that improve survival from firearm injuries, many survivors experience long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and poor physical quality of life. The report is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Alarming Rates of Teen Suicide Continue to Increase in the U.S.

A study exploring trends in suicide rates among 13 to 14 year olds from 1999 to 2018 shows rates more than doubled from 2008 to 2018, following a rise in social media and despite significant declines in suicide mortality in this age group previously from 1999 to 2007. These trends were similar in urban and rural areas but were more common in boys in rural areas where firearms are more prevalent. Suicides occurred significantly more often between September and May and were highest on Monday followed by the rest of the weekdays, suggesting school stress as a contributor.

Conversations About Safe Firearm Storage at Purchase Can Influence Use of Firearm Locks

Although cable locks – commonly distributed to prevent firearm injury and death – are included in many legal firearm purchases, research shows firearm owners rarely prefer or use these devices.
But a Rutgers study published in Injury Epidemiology found that gun owners who were told about cable locks at the time they purchased the firearm were more than twice as likely to use locking devices than those who weren’t told about cable locks when they made these purchases.

Surgeons on the Frontline of Gun Violence: Media meet and greet with surgeons who treat firearm violence victims

Surgeons who care for victims of firearm violence every day and are involved in advocacy efforts and research on gun safety and violence prevention will be available to talk with members of the media next week in person at the San Diego Convention Center and virtually through the YouTube Live platform.

Teens with Access to Firearms Found to Be at Higher Risk for Suicide

Adolescents who had access to firearms had about 1.5 times higher odds for prior suicide attempt and current suicidal ideation, according to a study published in the journal Academic Pediatrics. The study also found that one-third of adolescents coming to the Emergency Department (ED) for any reason had moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and over 40 percent of this group had access to a gun. This data was collected before the pandemic, during which EDs across the country saw an overwhelming increase in mental health burden in youth.

Study Finds Link Between Dropping Permit Requirement for Carrying Concealed Weapons and Increase in Officer-Involved Shootings with Civilian Victims

The study examined the impact of changes to state laws for civilians carrying concealed firearms and, using statistical modeling, estimated what would have happened if the laws had not changed.

Rates of handgun carriage rise among US adolescents, particularly White, rural, and higher income teens, new study finds

Handgun carrying increased significantly among rural, White and higher-income adolescents from 2002 to 2019, ominously escalating the risk of firearm-related death or injury for both these youths and others in their social sphere, researchers from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development report in the latest edition of the journal Pediatrics.

More American parents of teens are purchasing firearms during the pandemic, study finds

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 10% of all households with high school-age teens reported buying a firearm, and 3% of U.S. households with teens became first-time gun owners. For households that already owned a firearm, these new firearms were more likely to be acquired by those who already reported storing at least one gun unlocked and loaded. This concerned researchers, as the single biggest risk factor for adolescent firearm injuries is access to an unsecured firearm.

Alarming Rising Trends in Suicide by Firearms in Young Americans

Researchers explored suicide trends by firearms in white and black Americans ages 5 to 24 years from 1999 to 2018. From 2008 to 2018, rates of suicide by firearms quadrupled in those ages 5 to 14 years and increased by 50 percent in those ages 15 to 24 years. Suicide deaths by firearms were more prevalent in white than black Americans – a marked contrast with homicide by firearms, which are far more prevalent in black than white Americans.