NCJ Number
176822
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 32 Issue: 127 Dated: Fall 1997 Pages: 505-513
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the prevalence of weapon-carrying by youth, reasons they carry weapons, ways firearms are obtained, firearms and youth violence and controlling weapons in schools.
Abstract
A higher incidence of weapon carrying, guns in particular, among youths has been identified as a key factor in the recent increase in youth violence. A common reason given by young people for carrying weapons is for protection. However, weapon carrying among youth appears to be more closely associated with criminal activity, delinquency and aggressiveness than with purely defensive behavior. Illegal or unregulated transactions are the primary sources of guns used in violent acts; fewer than one in five guns used for illegal activities was purchased from a licensed dealer. Among teenagers 15-19 years of age and young adults 20-24, one of four deaths is by a firearm. The article discusses efforts by school security and law enforcement officials to control the carrying of weapons in schools and the need for cooperative action, such as a national licensing system for firearm possession or increasing the tax on firearms and ammunition. References