P3A287: Evaluating the Motivation and Means for Firearm Access, Carrying and Ownership Among Justice-involved Youth

Background: Firearms are the leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults in the United States. Firearm carriage is an important predictor for firearm violence victimization and perpetration among youth. Few studies have investigated the risk factors and drivers for firearm carriage and use as reported by youth. This study aims to describe self-reported experiences and factors associated with firearm acquisition, carriage, and ownership among justice-involved youth.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory, mixed-methods study using structured surveys and semi-structured interviews. Eligible participants completed the Juvenile Justice Collaborative program, a deferral program that partners with licensed clinicians to provide care coordination services to youth involved in the justice system. Study participants were recruited from May 2022 to February 2023. We conducted online anonymous surveys. Survey questions included history of firearm ownership, use and carrying, motivation for and methods of firearm acquisition, and presence of firearms in the home. We conducted semi-structured interviews using the framework of phenomenology. We used univariate analyses to describe experiences with firearms and survey participant demographics. We performed qualitative analyses using an iterative approach with constant comparison to identify key themes.

Results: We completed 28 surveys and 5 interviews during the study period. The majority of survey participants identified as male (67%) and African American (85%). Survey participants ranged from ages 14 to 20 years with about two thirds of participants aged 18 years or younger. About one fifth of survey participants reported ever owning a firearm with first time ownership typically in adolescence (median age 15). Survey participants reported whether they had ever held a firearm (41%), borrowed a firearm from someone else (25%), carried a firearm outside their home (25%), and fired a firearm (18%). Survey participants reported accessing or ability to access firearms from strangers (25%), licensed sellers/gun dealers (18%), or friends (14%). About one fifth of survey participants reported a firearm kept in or around their home that they did not own. Survey participants most often endorsed protection (64%) and work/job (18%) as reasons for firearm ownership. Interview participants describe the normalization and socialization of firearms among peers and acquiring firearms primarily through peer networks. They designate the primary motivation for firearm acquisition and ownership to be a perceived need for protection in the context of an environment with increasing violence exposure over time. Table 1 includes the major concepts and overarching themes explored among interview participants.

Conclusion: Justice-involved youth believe firearms are necessary for their protection due to increasing fear of or exposure to violence within their community environment. Further investigation is needed into the protective factors and community-level investments that may be effective in decreasing risky behaviors related to firearm acquisition, carrying and ownership among youth.