EFSGV-The-Root-Causes-of-Gun-Violence-March-2020.pdf

efsgv.org Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence March 2020

THE ROOT CAUSES OF GUN VIOLENCE

POLICYMAKERS MUST ADDRESS THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES THAT ARE THE

ROOT CAUSES OF GUN VIOLENCE IN IMPACTED COMMUNITIES OF COLOR

● The root causes of gun violence include:

○ Income inequality,

○ Poverty,

○ Underfunded public housing,

○ Under-resourced public services,

○ Underperforming schools,

○ Lack of opportunity and perceptions of hopelessness,

and

○ Easy access to firearms by high-risk people.

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR ARE IMPACTED BY STRUCTURAL INEQUALITIES ROOTED IN RACISM

● Structural inequalities are policies, social structures, and norms set by the institutions in power

that prevent individuals living in impacted communities of color from gaining equal access to

opportunity. These structural inequities often perpetuate the root causes of gun violence..

● Structural inequalities are caused by racist policies that target communities of color and create

segregated and underinvested neighborhoods; these inequalities fuel gun violence.

● Black Americans are more likely to live in hypersegregated poor neighborhoods with

underfunded public services, poor housing, less economic opportunities, and limited healthcare

access than White Americans.

● The unemployment rate for Black Americans is at least twice as high as that of White Americans

in many US cities.

● In addition to under-qualified instructors, high-poverty urban schools face problems of outdated

curriculums and dilapidated facilities, which impact students’ developmental outcomes.

FIREARM VIOLENCE IS HIGHLY CONCENTRATED WITHIN IMPACTED COMMUNITIES OF COLOR

● Gun violence is the leading cause of death for Black males under the age of 55, and the second

leading cause of death for Hispanic males under the age of 35.

● Each year nearly 7,800 Black Americans are murdered by a firearm.

● 60% of firearm homicide victims in the United States are Black Americans, yet Black Americans

account for less than 15% of the population.

● Young Black males ages 15-24 are 22 times more likely to be murdered by firearm than their White

counterparts and young Hispanic males are over 4 times more likely to be murdered by firearm

than their White counterparts.

● Young Black females ages 15-24 are over 6 times more likely to be murdered by firearm than their

White counterparts and young Hispanic females are nearly 2 times more likely to be murdered by

firearm than their White counterparts.

● In 2015, 26% of firearm homicides in the US occurred within census tracts that contained only

1.5% of the population.

● Over the last decade (2009-2018) the firearm suicide rate among Black Americans increased by

over 31%; in 2018 1,569 Black Americans died by firearm suicide.

efsgv.org Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence March 2020

IN MANY COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, NEARLY EVERYONE IS IMPACTED BY GUN VIOLENCE

● A 2018 nationally representative poll of American adults found that 27% of Black Americans had

witnessed a shooting and 23% reported that someone they care for has been killed by a gun.

● A survey of Baltimore City youth ages 12-24 found that 42% had witnessed a shooting compared

to 4% of suburban youth.

● A survey of middle school children enrolled in the Richmond, Virginia public school system

found that 94% reported hearing gunshots and 44% of boys and 30% of girls reported witnessing

a shooting.

GUN VIOLENCE EXPOSURE CHANGES THE CHEMISTRY IN THE BRAIN AND CAN HAVE LASTING

IMPACTS ON HEALTH, WELLBEING, AND DEVELOPMENT IF LEFT UNTREATED

● Exposure to gun violence is associated with:

○ Posttraumatic stress disorder,

○ Antisocial behavior,

○ Depression,

○ Stunted cognitive and emotional development,

○ Risky alcohol and substance use, and

○ Increased likelihood in engaging in violence.

● While there are evidence-based treatments to support those exposed to gun violence, individuals

in impacted communities often lack access to these vital mental health services.

WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY EXPOSURE TO GUN VIOLENCE EXACERBATES ALREADY EXISTING

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES AND FURTHER PERPETUATES GUN VIOLENCE

● A study that examined 500 Black American youth found that direct exposure to violence was the

best predictor of whether an individual would later engage in gun related crimes.

● An analysis of gun violence in Oakland found that each gun homicide in a census tract in a given

year was related to five fewer job opportunities the subsequent year.

● An analysis of gun violence in Washington DC found that ten additional gunshots in a census

tract in a given year were linked to one less new business opening, one more business closing,

and 20 fewer jobs.

Gun violence is a multifaceted challenge that demands a holistic set of solutions to stop the

cycles in impacted communities of color. In addition to limiting easy access to firearms by

high-risk people, we must:

1) Address the underlying social and economic inequalities that fuel gun violence,

2) Adequately fund community-based violence intervention and prevention efforts grounded in

evidence that build authentic relationships with those impacted, and

3) Support local organizations that address the social and economic inequalities at the root of

gun violence.

efsgv.org Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence March 2020

REFERENCES

Rowhani-Rahbar A, Quistberg DA, Morgan ER, Hajat A, & Rivara FP. (2019). Income inequality and firearm homicide in the US: a county-

level cohort study. Injury prevention.

Kennedy BP, Kawachi I, Prothrow-Stith D, Lochner K, & Gupta V. (1998). Social capital, income inequality, and firearm violent crime. Social

science & medicine.

US Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2000). In the crossfire: The impact of gun violence on public housing communities.

Bieler S, Kijakazi K, La Vigne N, Vinik N, & Overton S. (2016). Engaging communities in reducing gun violence. Washington, DC: Urban

Institute.

Bieler S, Kijakazi K, La Vigne N, Vinik N, & Overton S. (2016). Engaging communities in reducing gun violence. Washington, DC: Urban

Institute.

DuRant RH, Cadenhead C, Pendergrast RA, Slavens G, & Linder CW. (1994). Factors associated with the use of violence among urban black

adolescents. American journal of public health.

Bieler S, Kijakazi K, La Vigne N, Vinik N, & Overton S. (2016). Engaging communities in reducing gun violence. Washington, DC: Urban

Institute.

To learn more about structural inequalities see: Royce, E. (2018). Poverty and power: The problem of structural inequality. Rowman &

Littlefield, and Henry, C. M. (Ed.). (2008). Race, Poverty, and Domestic Policy. Yale University Press.

Jacoby SF, Dong B, Beard JH, Wiebe DJ, & Morrison CN. (2018). The enduring impact of historical and structural racism on urban violence in

Philadelphia. Social Science & Medicine.

Acs G, Pendall R, Treskon M., & Khare, A. (2017). The cost of segregation: National trends and the case of Chicago, 1990–2010. Washington,

DC: Urban Institute.

Center for American Progress. (2015). Expanding opportunities in America’s urban areas. Available:

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/reports/2015/03/23/109460/expanding-opportunities-in-americas-urban-areas/

Perry A. (2019). Black workers are being left behind by full employment. Brookings.

Jones J. (2018). Black unemployment is at least twice as high as white unemployment at the national level and in 12 states and D.C. Economic

Policy Institute.

Hudley C. (2013). Education and Urban Schools. American Psychological Association. Available:

https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/indicator/2013/05/urban-schools

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Injury mechanism and all other leading causes of death.

WONDER Online Database, 2014-2018.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Firearm Homicide deaths by race, five year average.

WONDER Online Database, 2014-2018. National population estimates by race categorization are also reported on WONDER.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Firearm Homicide deaths by race. WONDER Online

Database, 2014-2018. National population estimates by race categorization are also reported on WONDER.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Homicide Deaths and Rates per 100,000. WONDER Online

Database, 2014-2018. Ages 15-24. Firearm homicide rate of Black males and Hispanic males (all races) compared to non-Hispanic White males.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Homicide Deaths and Rates per 100,000. WONDER Online

Database, 2014-2018. Ages 15-24. Firearm homicide rate of Black females and Hispanic females (all races) compared to non-Hispanic White

females.

Aufrichtig A, Beckett L, Diehn J, & Lartey L. (2017). Want to fix gun violence in America? Go local. The Guardian.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Firearm Suicide deaths by year. Black Americans.

WONDER Online Database, 2009-2018.

SurveyUSA. Data collected from December 7-11, 2018. Question 28 and 35. Market Research Study.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=4a9eed40-c8b0-419c-ae82-71e1dbd19ca0&c=254.

Gladstein J, Rusonis EJS, & Heald, FP. (1992). A comparison of inner-city and upper-middle class youths’ exposure to violence. Journal of

Adolescent Health.

White KS, Bruce SE, Farrell AD, & Kliewer, W. (1998). Impact of exposure to community violence on anxiety: A longitudinal study of family

social support as a protective factor for urban children. Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Shonkoff, JP, Garner AS, Siegel BS, Dobbins MI, Earls MF, McGuinn, L. Pascoe J, & Wood DL. Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption,

and Dependent Care. (2012). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics.

McGee ZT, Logan K, Samuel J, & Nunn, T. (2017). A multivariate analysis of gun violence among urban youth: The impact of direct

victimization, indirect victimization, and victimization among peers. Cogent Social Sciences.

Schilling EA, Aseltine RH, & Gore S. (2007). Adverse childhood experiences and mental health in young adults: a longitudinal survey. BMC

public health.

Finkelhor D, Turner HA, Ormrod R, Hamby S, Kracke K.(2009). Children’s Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Salzinger S, Feldman RS, Stockhammer T, & Hood J. (2002). An ecological framework for understanding risk for exposure to community

violence and the effects of exposure on children and adolescents. Aggression and Violent Behavior.

Stolbach, B. C., & Anam, S. (2017). Racial and ethnic health disparities and trauma-informed care for children exposed to community

violence. Pediatric annals.

Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, & Wilkinson RG. (1999). Crime: social disorganization and relative deprivation. Social science & medicine.

McGee ZT, Logan K, Samuel J, & Nunn T. (2017). A multivariate analysis of gun violence among urban youth: The impact of direct

victimization, indirect victimization, and victimization among peers. Cogent Social Sciences.

Irvin-Erickson Y, Lynch M, Gurvis A, Mohr E, & Bai, B. (2017). Gun Violence Affects the Economic Health of Communities. Urban Institute,

Justice Policy Center.

Irvin-Erickson Y, Lynch M, Gurvis A, Mohr E, & Bai, B. (2017). Gun Violence Affects the Economic Health of Communities. Urban

Institute, Justice Policy Center.