The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #48065

Mona A. Wright, MPH, Garen J. Wintemute, MD, MPH, and Michael P. Romero, MPH. Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California, Davis, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Western Fairs Bldg, Sacramento, CA 95817, 916/734-3539, mona.wright@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

Concern that handguns sold in multiple sales may be more likely than others to be used in crime has prompted some states to limit the number and timing of handguns sold. We report a case-control study of 45,412 multiple purchase handguns (more than one handgun within 30 days) sold through licensed gun retailers in California in 1996; 430 cases appeared, within a criminal context, in either the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms gun tracing database or California’s Guns in Evidence database through the end of 1999; 44,982 controls did not. Among multiple purchase guns the risk for use in crime was three times as great (OR=3.1, 95% CI 2.3, 4.1) for guns that cost under $150 new and was nearly twice as likely (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.2, 2.4) to have been bought by an individual who purchased guns only in multiples in 1996. Overall, it was the price of multiple purchase handguns, purchasing practices of the buyer, and the percentage of guns traced as a function of sales made by a retailer that predicts the handguns’ risk for use in crime. These findings may have important implications for policies relating to handgun sales.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to identify the characteristics of handguns sold as part of multiple purchases that make them more likely to be used in crime. They will be able to evaluate the major implications of these findings for policies relating to handgun sales.

Keywords: Firearms, Public Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.