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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Allegra N. Kim, MS, Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Hampton House, Room 580, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-614-4985, akim@jhsph.edu and Daniel Webster, ScD, Health Policy and Management, Center for Gun Policy and Research, Johns Hopkins University, 624 North Broadway, Hampton House, Room 580, Baltimore, MD 21205-1996.
Background: Although convicted felons and youth are prohibited from purchasing handguns, such proscribed users have access to handguns through illicit market supplies. In 1996 the Maryland Legislature enacted the Maryland Gun Violence Act (MGVA) in large part to reduce the illicit supply of handguns to youth and criminals, and ultimately to reduce gun violence. An important provision of this law was the purchase limit of one handgun per person, per month. To our knowledge, this is the first study to focus on the effects of the MGVA on the illicit trafficking and availability of handguns.
Purpose: To evaluate the 1996 Maryland Gun Violence Act (MGVA) for effects on indicators of illicit handgun trafficking and handgun availability for the perpetration of violence.
Methods and data: Quasi-experimental research design with the MGVA as the intervention in two distinct analyses that address effects on: 1) indicators of illicit handgun trafficking; and 2) handgun availability for violence, as measured by the proportion of homicide committed with handguns. Each analysis will compare outcomes for Maryland or Baltimore vs. comparison sites, before vs. after the MGVA’s enactment, controlling for potentially confounding factors. Crime gun trace data from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and Vital Statistics mortality data will be the main data sources for the illicit trafficking and handgun availability analyses, respectively.
Results: Preliminary analyses suggest that the MGVA is associated with modest declines in some indicators of illicit handgun trafficking and use of handguns in homicides.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to
Keywords: Firearms, Evaluation
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.