gun violence

Add the government to the Food-Industrial Complex Vape Shops Illegal guns IARC and the WHO find another ingredient to jettison
Many news events are associated with upticks in gun violence. But underneath those national aggregates, we find a great deal of variation, as seen in this study from the journal Chaos. It's not that gun violence isn't increasing overall, but more that in some areas shootings rise while in others they fall.
Based on data gathered by the CDC, in 2020, the rate of suicide in the US population was 13 per 100,000, far more frequent in men (21 per 100,000) than in women (5.4 per 100,000). Firearms were the most common means, again higher amongst men than women. For fifty years, identifying the individuals at risk for suicide has been no better than a coin flip. A new study looks at whether there are markers that can improve the ability to identify the group of individuals using guns to take their life.
As with many current problems, the issue of gun control and solutions to gun violence is heavily nuanced and multi-layered. So is the science. Let’s go behind the headlines and take a look.
An immigrants tale of serendipity and finding a vital medication on a distant island Stupidity is not monolithic; it comes in so many forms. The problem with making something “fool-proof” is that fools are so clever. Bicyclists killed by autonomous vehicle – what the operator tells us. What if there is no answer to gun violence?
Everyone I know is against STDs (Sexually transmitted diseases). I haven’t heard anyone say the solution is to ban sex. Instead, most health specialists advocate “safe sex.” When it comes to guns, however, this rationality is lost. We’re either categorically in favor or against, with some focusing on gun safety. So, how would you make a safer gun?
With every horrific mass shooting, the media and the politicians bring out the same tired facts and solutions. While research into gun violence has been deliberately dampened [1], there are studies that help us to characterize gun violence. As mythical police officer Sgt. Joe Friday said, “Just the facts, ma’am.”
Over the past few months more healthcare articles have featured a new (at least for me) statistical methodology: mediation analysis. It doesn’t prove causality, but it can assign a value to the impact of a variable on an outcome. More usefully, it can help suggest what factors we can leverage using public health measures, regulation, or legislation.
To obtain a permit for a handgun in New York City, the applicant must provide written consent from those living with them that the presence of a gun is OK. Is that a good or bad requirement? A new study looks at homicide deaths among “cohabitants of handgun owners,” what could go wrong?