In this paper, researchers examined accessibility, carriage, and use of firearms among youth in Texas.
This study on firearm access, carriage and use among ethnically diverse young adults in Texas found that an alarming rate of firearm access and carriage in Texas and highlights the disparities in firearms experiences by sociodemographic characteristics. Despite the high rates of firearm ownership and firearm-related injuries and mortalities in Southern US states, understandings on the factors contributing to these are lacking. Using wave 10 (2021) data from a longitudinal study, researchers examined firearm-related experiences among 636 ethnically diverse young adults (mean age=26 years; 62% female) in Texas. Just over half of participants had ready access to firearms, with 22.3% having carried a firearm outside of their home, 4.9% having been threatened with a firearm by a romantic partner and 4.4% by a non-romantic partner. More firearm access and carriage were reported in males, white participants and those with >US$50,000 income. More females than males had been threatened with a firearm by a romantic partner, but more males than females had been threatened by a non-partner. Participants with recent financial difficulties were proportionally more likely to be threatened with a firearm than those without difficulties. (Published Abstract Provided)