Moving From Gun Carrying To Gun Use In Crime

• In Event: A Developmental Picture of Gun Carrying and Gun Use Among High-Risk Adolescents

Abstract

Homicide is the second leading cause of death among youths aged 15-24 and one-half of the individuals murdered by gun violence are within this age range. Thus, gun violence among at-risk youth is a serious concern for policy-makers. Unfortunately, potentially very valuable information regarding the developmental patterns of gun carrying and gun use is very sparse. This paper will use longitudinal data from a multisite study of serious adolescent offenders (the Pathways to Desistance study) to examine patterns of gun carrying and gun use between the ages of 15 and 24. Among the 1,354 Pathways study participants, 38% report carrying a gun and 28% reported using a gun in a crime, thus this study provides one of only a few opportunities to examine this elusive issue over time.
This paper explores three policy relevant issues: 1) the patterns of carrying and use over this age span, 1) the distal factors (e.g. cognitive functioning) that distinguish youth who carry (but do not use) a gun from those who do not and 2) the time-varying proximal factors (e.g. peer relationships) related to disruptions in gun-carrying and/or use. Policy implications of the findings will be discussed.

Authors

• Carol Ann Schubert, University of Pittsburgh

• Edward P. Mulvey, University of Pittsburgh