The need for protection: a cross-sectional analysis of direct exposure to firearm violence, attitudes towards firearms for protection, and firearm acquisition in California and Louisiana.

backgroundFirearm violence is a leading cause of injury and death in the United States. Understanding how exposure to firearm violence shapes attitudes and behaviors related to firearms is critical for informing prevention and intervention strategies. This study examined associations between recent and lifetime firearm violence exposure and attitudes toward firearms for safety, as well as recent firearm acquisition. We hypothesized that recent and direct firearm violence exposure would be associated with increased firearm acquisition, whereas direct exposure recently and across the lifetime would be associated with more positive attitudes toward firearm ownership for protection.

methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2023 Violence Experiences (VEX) surveys, state-representative, population-based online surveys of adults 18 and older in California (CA) and Louisiana (LA). Data was combined from both states (n = 4492). Exposure variables included recent (past 12 months) and lifetime direct firearm violence exposure. Outcomes included attitudes toward having a firearm in the home for safety and past-year firearm acquisition. Poisson regressions with robust standard errors were utilized to examine the associations between violence exposure and attitudes toward firearms, and multinomial regressions to examine the association between violence exposure and firearm acquisition.

resultsRespondents from LA reported higher lifetime exposure to violence, more positive attitudes toward having a firearm for safety, and greater recent firearm acquisition. Lifetime firearm violence exposure was associated with increased odds of positive attitudes regarding firearms for safety (APR 1.46, 95% CI 1.22-1.74), while recent exposure was associated with increased odds of firearm acquisition in the past year (ARR 4.15, 95% CI 2.36-7.28). Individuals with lifetime exposure had 1.50 the odds of reporting recent firearm acquisition compared to those with no lifetime exposure (95% CI 1.11, 2.03). Similar trends were found for state-specific analyses related to attitudes and acquisition.

conclusionsFindings suggest that prior direct exposure to firearm violence may be associated with both attitudes toward firearms and decisions to acquire them. Future research should explore how state-level policies may mitigate these effects and identify strategies to support individuals who acquire firearms for protection following exposure to violence.