African American Legislators' Perceptions of Firearm Violence Prevention Legislation

Introduction:  African Americans are disproportionately impacted by firearm injuries and death. Legislation that is passed to specifically address firearm violence disparities may be an effective strategy to reduce this racial/ethnic disparity.  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to collect baseline data on African American legislators’ perceptions regarding firearm violence in the African American community. Methods: A cross-sectional study of African American legislators (n=612) was conducted to investigate the research questions.  A response rate of 28% was sufficient based on a power analysis. Utilizing a 3 wave mailing process, African American legislators were invited to participate in the study. Results: The majority (88%) of African American legislators perceived firearm violence to be very serious among African Americans. Few (10%) African American legislators perceived that addressing legislative issues would be an effective strategy in reducing firearm violence among African Americans. The majority (72%) of African American legislators perceived the most effective strategy to reducing firearm violence in the African American community should focus on addressing societal issues. After adjusting for the number of perceived barriers, the number of perceived benefits was a significant predictor of African American legislators’ perceived effectiveness of firearm violence prevention legislation for 8 of the 24 potential firearm violence prevention legislative bills. Conclusions: African American legislators could be key advocates of firearm violence prevention legislation. Educating African American legislators on the benefits of firearm violence prevention legislation is one strategy towards increasing their likelihood to advocate for such legislation at the state and federal level.