Violence, firearms, and the coronavirus pandemic: Findings from the 2020 California Safety and Wellbeing Survey

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Violence is a significant public health problem that has become entwined with the coronavirus pandemic. Conditions that contribute to violence--poverty, unemployment, lack of available resources, isolation, hopelessness, and loss--have intensified and are further compounded by the recent surge in firearm sales, which is itself a risk factor for firearm-related harm. OBJECTIVE: To describe individuals' worry about violence for themselves and others in the context of the pandemic, pandemic-related unfair treatment, as well as the prevalence of and reasons for firearm acquisition and changes in firearm storage practices due to the pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study used data from the California Safety and Wellbeing Survey, a statewide Internet survey of 2,870 California adults (18 years of age and older) conducted from July 14 to July 27, 2020. Responses were weighted to be representative of the state population of adults. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Survey topics for this study included: changes in worry about violence happening to oneself, by type of violence and location, before and during the pandemic; concern someone else might physically hurt another person or themselves on purpose due to a pandemic-related loss; experiences of unfair treatment related to the pandemic; firearm and ammunition acquisition and changes in firearm storage practices due to the pandemic; and participation in civic and political activities "in response to gun violence" during the pandemic. RESULTS: Worry about violence significantly increased during the pandemic for all violence types except mass shootings. More than 1 in 10 respondents were concerned that someone they know might intentionally harm another person (12.2%) or themselves (13.1%). Of those concerned about self-harm for someone else, 7.5% said it was because the person had suffered a pandemic-related loss. An estimated 110,000 individuals acquired a firearm in response to the pandemic (2.4% of current firearm owners), including 47,000 new owners. Approximately 55,000 individuals (1.2% of owners) who currently store at least one firearm loaded and not locked up said they had adopted this unsecure storage practice in response to the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Given the impulsive nature of many types of violence, short-term crisis interventions, such as options for temporary firearm storage outside the home, extreme risk protection orders, and efforts involving community-based violence intervention workers, may be critical for reducing violence-related harm now and following other societal shocks.

A Dual Pandemic: The Influence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Trends and Types of Firearm Violence in California, Ohio, and the United States

“…Contrarily, the types of firearm-related deaths that increased were related to accidental shootings. Given that a recent survey study found that around 40% of individuals have been storing at least one firearm unlocked in their home during the pandemic 33 and that other reports have shown a spike in firsttime gun owners, 21 our results suggest that pandemic-related firearm ownership may be doing more harm to owners and their families during SAH than good. This suggests that the determination that firearm retailers are essential businesses may merit future discussion.…”

“…Of these, 47,000 (43.0%) were first-time owners. 21 This may at least partially explain why Hatchimonji et al demonstrated that firearm-related injuries have persisted unabated throughout the pandemic 22 despite orders to SAH. Commentary from other US trauma centers has postulated that firearm violence is paradoxically increasing despite overall crime rates dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

When COVID-19 and guns meet: A rise in shootings

“…The pandemic resulted in a change in the practice of individuals' gun storage. Due to the evolving and uncertain nature of the pandemic, some gun owners used less secure methods of gun storage ( Kraviz-Wirtz, Aubel, Schleimer, Pallin, & Wintemute, 2020 ). They kept guns at the ready, loaded up and/or unlocked, in the home.…”

La concentración espacial de los reportes de disparos al 911 en la Ciudad de México: ¿Comportamiento racional en el uso de armas durante la pandemia Covid-19?

“…Incluso en algunos estados como Pensilvania, las armerías fueron consideradas negocios esenciales, por lo que permanecieron abiertas durante el confinamiento (Hatchimonji et al, 2020). En California, se estima que 110 mil personas compraron un arma de fuego como respuesta a la pandemia, de los cuales 47 mil lo hicieron por primera vez (Kravitz-Wirtz et al, 2020). En las ciudades de Nueva York, Chicago, Baltimore y Los Ángeles, Shutherland et al (2020) hallaron un aumento promedio de 34.7% en la verificación de antecedentes para la compra de armas en comparación a 2019, con datos del Buró Federal de Investigaciones (fbi, por sus siglas en inglés).…”