Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract Objective Amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic crisis, firearm sales surged to record‐breaking levels in the United States. The purpose of this study was to conduct a national assessment of the views of Americans on the change in firearm sales, the perceived impact of the changes in sales, and how...

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Main Authors: Jagdish Khubchandani, James H. Price
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021-02-01
Series:Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12293
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spelling doaj-23ebb05521ee416dbd2fba032c078c242021-02-25T15:52:37ZengWileyJournal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open2688-11522021-02-0121n/an/a10.1002/emp2.12293Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemicJagdish Khubchandani0James H. Price1Department of Public Health Sciences New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USASchool of Population Health University of Toledo Toledo Ohio USAAbstract Objective Amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic crisis, firearm sales surged to record‐breaking levels in the United States. The purpose of this study was to conduct a national assessment of the views of Americans on the change in firearm sales, the perceived impact of the changes in sales, and how these perceptions differ by a recent purchase of a firearm. Methods A multi‐item valid and reliable questionnaire was deployed online via mTurk and social media sites in the last week of May 2020 to recruit adult Americans in the general population across the United States. Results Among the total sample of study participants (n = 1432), almost a fifth (18%, n = 263) reported buying a firearm during the pandemic. Firearm buyers differed statistically significantly (P < 0.01) from non‐buyers based on sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, education, having children at home, employment status, income, political orientation, location, and region of residence in the United States. Those who did not buy firearms during the pandemic were significantly (P < 0.01) more likely to believe that firearm sales and first‐time ownership/buying of firearms had increased during the pandemic. Similarly, those who did not buy a firearm during the pandemic were significantly more likely to believe that the surge in firearm sales would result in increased firearm access for children, mentally ill, drug users, criminals, and older adults. In relation to perceived changes in selected public health outcomes attributed to the surge in firearm sales, firearm buyers were significantly less likely (P < 0.01) to believe that an increase in sales could result in adverse public health outcomes such as a higher number of suicides, homicides, mass shootings, and crimes in society. In multiple regression analyses, significant predictors of pandemic purchase of firearms were: having children at home, owning firearms before the pandemic, planning to buy firearms in the next year, knowing someone who was shot or killed with a firearm, and personally experiencing firearm violence in the past (ie, threatened or shot with a firearm). Conclusions This study delineated the characteristics of those who purchased a firearm during the pandemic and the reasons for such purchases during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Additional research is needed to understand the long‐term impact of firearm sales during the pandemic on public health.https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12293coronavirusCOVID‐19firearmsinjurypandemicviolence
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Jagdish Khubchandani
James H. Price
spellingShingle Jagdish Khubchandani
James H. Price
Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open
coronavirus
COVID‐19
firearms
injury
pandemic
violence
author_facet Jagdish Khubchandani
James H. Price
author_sort Jagdish Khubchandani
title Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic
title_short Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic
title_full Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic
title_fullStr Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Public perspectives on firearm sales in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic
title_sort public perspectives on firearm sales in the united states during the covid‐19 pandemic
publisher Wiley
series Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open
issn 2688-1152
publishDate 2021-02-01
description Abstract Objective Amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic crisis, firearm sales surged to record‐breaking levels in the United States. The purpose of this study was to conduct a national assessment of the views of Americans on the change in firearm sales, the perceived impact of the changes in sales, and how these perceptions differ by a recent purchase of a firearm. Methods A multi‐item valid and reliable questionnaire was deployed online via mTurk and social media sites in the last week of May 2020 to recruit adult Americans in the general population across the United States. Results Among the total sample of study participants (n = 1432), almost a fifth (18%, n = 263) reported buying a firearm during the pandemic. Firearm buyers differed statistically significantly (P < 0.01) from non‐buyers based on sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, education, having children at home, employment status, income, political orientation, location, and region of residence in the United States. Those who did not buy firearms during the pandemic were significantly (P < 0.01) more likely to believe that firearm sales and first‐time ownership/buying of firearms had increased during the pandemic. Similarly, those who did not buy a firearm during the pandemic were significantly more likely to believe that the surge in firearm sales would result in increased firearm access for children, mentally ill, drug users, criminals, and older adults. In relation to perceived changes in selected public health outcomes attributed to the surge in firearm sales, firearm buyers were significantly less likely (P < 0.01) to believe that an increase in sales could result in adverse public health outcomes such as a higher number of suicides, homicides, mass shootings, and crimes in society. In multiple regression analyses, significant predictors of pandemic purchase of firearms were: having children at home, owning firearms before the pandemic, planning to buy firearms in the next year, knowing someone who was shot or killed with a firearm, and personally experiencing firearm violence in the past (ie, threatened or shot with a firearm). Conclusions This study delineated the characteristics of those who purchased a firearm during the pandemic and the reasons for such purchases during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Additional research is needed to understand the long‐term impact of firearm sales during the pandemic on public health.
topic coronavirus
COVID‐19
firearms
injury
pandemic
violence
url https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12293
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