Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40835428›Full record

ArticleInjury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention2026

Examining the impacts of firearm purchaser licensing laws on firearm deaths among youth aged 15 to 24, by age group-USA, 1990-2019.

Katrina S Kennedy, Elizabeth D Wagner, Nicholas S Meyerson, Stephen N Oliphant, Alexander D McCourt, April M Zeoli, Daniel W Webster, Cassandra K Crifasi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Katrina S KennedyDepartment of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA kkenne34@jhu.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-4937-695X
Elizabeth D WagnerCenter for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Nicholas S MeyersonCenter for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Stephen N OliphantInstitute for Firearm Injury Prevention, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Alexander D McCourtCenter for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
April M ZeoliInstitute for Firearm Injury Prevention, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9084-1721
Daniel W WebsterCenter for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Cassandra K CrifasiCenter for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens (FACTS): Multi-Disciplinary Research Training ProgramT32HD108054 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Patrick M. Carter, Marc A Zimmerman · 2022 to 2026
$1.7M
Characterizing Economic Determinants of Violence and Safety Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Diverse PopulationsF31MD019985 · NIMHD · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI KENNEDY, KATRINA · 2024 to 2025
$98k
NCIPC CDC HHS U01 CE003368NICHD NIH HHS T32 HD108054NIMHD NIH HHS F31 MD019985
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundYouth aged 15-24 experience high rates of firearm homicide and suicide, yet there is limited research on the impact of promising preventative policies, such as firearm purchaser licensing (FPL) laws, among this age group. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adopting or repealing an FPL law on homicide and suicide among those aged 15-24, by age subgroup (ie, 15-17, 18-20, 21-24).

methodsMortality data from 1990 to 2019 were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. We used augmented synthetic controls to estimate the effect of FPL law adoption in Connecticut and Maryland and repeal in Missouri and Michigan on youth homicide and suicide rates. Analyses were stratified by age subgroup and firearm involvement.

resultsFPL adoption was associated with decreases in firearm homicide and suicide among those aged 15-24 overall and among most age subgroups in Connecticut. FPL repeal was consistently associated with increases in firearm suicide among each age subgroup, with less consistent results for firearm homicide. DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsFPL law changes had meaningful impacts on firearm homicide and suicide among youth aged 15-24, with consistent protective effects observed following adoption in Connecticut and consistent harmful effects following repeal in Missouri. Mixed results in Maryland and Michigan highlight the importance of policy features and sociopolitical context in shaping the effectiveness of these laws. These findings reinforce the effectiveness of FPL laws as a strategy to reduce firearm-related mortality among youth.

Indexed as

FirearmsHomicideLicensureSuicideWounds, GunshotAdolescentConnecticutFemaleHumansMaleMichiganUnited StatesYoung AdultFirearmLegislationMortalityPolicyPolicy analysisYouth

Identifiers

PMID40835428
PMCPMC12435012

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.