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This study reexamines the collective security hypothesis of gun ownership using data collected from residents of the city of Detroit, Michigan. In addition, we seek to determine whether the effects of perceptions of police, fear of crime, and victimization on individual-level gun ownership are attenuated by neighborhood levels of informal social control. Our findings indicate that police satisfaction remains a robust predictor of gun ownership, in that those who are less satisfied with police are more likely to own a firearm for defensive purposes. Moreover, the effects of this variable remain unaffected by the inclusion of informal social control. These results confirm a number of previously identified correlates of gun ownership remain influential and suggest that improving perceptions of police among the public may lead to fewer firearms in circulation among the public.

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Previous research has consistently identified a crime spillover effect from public housing communities. However, variation in spillover between communities has also been observed. Drawing upon environmental criminology and recent advancements in crime and place research, we examine whether street block betweenness conditions the relationship between street block distance to public housing communities and robbery levels. Negative binomial regression results indicate that street block distance is inversely related to robberies and betweenness is positively associated with robbery levels. The interaction between distance to the nearest public housing community and betweenness suggests robberies decrease more slowly farther from public housing communities on street blocks with higher betweenness. Findings demonstrate the importance of considering the context in which potentially criminogenic facilities are situated.

This study explores the nature and outcome of violent incidents experienced by child, adolescent, adult, and elderly victims. Data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) are used to determine whether there are differences in the situational characteristics-including location, time of day, weapons, and the victim-offender relationship-of violent victimization experiences across the 4 age groups, including whether situational characteristics influence the likelihood of victim injury. Results indicate that victim injury is most prevalent among adult victims and that the situational characteristics of violent incidents vary by victim age, as do the correlates of victim injury. These findings suggest that of the nature of violent victimization should be examined within the context of victim age, and supports research by scholars who have proposed a model of developmental victimology to identify age-specific victimization patterns.

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Although many studies have highlighted the deleterious outcomes associated with access to firearms, others suggest gun ownership and carrying can have protective effects. This study attempts to adjudicate between these countervailing points and address several important gaps in the literature. To do so, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were used to assess the long-term associations between gun ownership and gun carrying in late adolescence and violence and violent victimization in early adulthood. Results from propensity score matching analyses suggest gun carrying, but not gun ownership, is associated with a higher risk of experiencing a violent victimization (b = 0.080, 95% CI = .032, .127) and engaging in violence with a weapon (b = 0.885, 95% CI = .392, 1.378). Efforts to curb firearm-related violence should consider focusing on those who carry guns for additional counseling about these risks.

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