NCJ Number
153714
Journal
Minnesota Monthly Dated: special issue (February 1995) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
L Witt
Date Published
1995
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This special report addresses the extent of gun violence in Minnesota, community approaches to violence reduction, violence in schools, and Minnesota's action plan to reduce gun violence.
Abstract
In 1992, 351 people in Minnesota died from firearm-related injuries. Homicides involving guns rose from 44 in 1988 to 83 in 1993. Suicides involving guns increased by 20 percent from 229 in 1988 to 273 in 1992. Adolescents and young people between 15 and 29 years of age were the victims in 75 percent of all firearm homicides. In order to assess public attitudes toward gun violence and effective ways to reduce such violence, 12 communities throughout Minnesota were visited. Participants in community forums provided specific information on gun ownership, gun violence victims, and violence prevention. They reported a lack of faith in the criminal justice system and the political process, the importance of socializing young people to avoid violence, the violence desensitizing effect of movies and television, and the need for protection voiced by individuals who owned guns. A survey at Brooklyn Center High School found that two-thirds of students believe guns constitute a major social problem; that about one-third feel movies, television, and music influence young people to use guns; and that females are more likely than males to be against guns and to report other students. Ramsey County, Minnesota, has a grassroots network, known as the Gun Violence Action Team, in which individuals work separately and together to reduce and prevent gun violence. Minnesota's overall action plan to reduce gun violence is described, and the importance of community mobilization in violence prevention is discussed.