NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY — A recent study by the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University is providing fresh insights into how firearm owners across different states handle and use their weapons.
While studies have shown that having a gun at home can elevate the risks of injuries or fatalities, much of the existing research has been too generalized, often focusing on national samples. This has resulted in a limited understanding of the contrasts between firearm-owning communities across the country.
“Americans have a Constitutional right to own firearms, but individuals in different states exercise that right and use their firearms very differently from one another depending on the community they are in,” says study lead author Michael Anestis, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, in a media release. “Because of this, the risk for firearm injury and death varies widely from state to state.”
Many studies from the past either didn’t accurately represent the broader population or are now outdated, especially in light of the recent surge in gun […]
This data is skewed right from the start. As one of the authors stated: “ Americans have a Constitutional right to own firearms, but individuals in different states exercise that right and use their firearms very differently from one another depending on the community they are in,” says study lead author Michael Anestis, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center”. This statement is true; however, the State of New Jersey has only recently conceded an individual’s right to carry arms, and this only following years of legal actions. As a consequence, the study is really comparing Apples and Oranges. As a long standing opponent to the right to own firearms it is heartening to read the Center of Gun Violence concession, and in the final line the acknowledgement that alienating gun owners is a poor strategy of behavior change.