ScholarlyCommons

Title

The Case for Enhanced Data Collection of Gun Type

Author(s)

Therese S. Richmond, University of PennsylvaniaFollow
Charles Branas, University of PennsylvaniaFollow
Rose Ann Cheney, University of Pennsylvania
C William Schwab

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of this Version

2004

Publication Source

The Journal of Trauma Injury Infection and Critical Care

Volume

57

Issue

6

Start Page

1356

Last Page

1360

DOI

10.1097/01.TA.0000141886.22472.F5

Abstract

Background: National surveillance systems have differentiated long guns into rifles and shotguns but fail to do so for handgun type. We sought to determine whether specific gun type data could be collected and whether knowledge of specific gun types (rifle, shotgun, pistol, revolver) could be used to distinguish gun homicide victims with respect to important injury parameters such as number of wounds.

Methods: Data on gun fatalities over a 5-year period in three communities were abstracted from medical examiner/coroner, police, and crime laboratory records.

Results: Gun type was obtained for 92% of 490 guns linked to 405 gun homicides. Handguns were associated with more wounds per gun than long guns (p = 0.001) and more entry wounds per gun than long guns (p = 0.002). Among handguns, pistols were associated with more wounds per gun (p < 0.001) and entry wounds per gun (p = 0.001) than revolvers. These same associations were not found among specific long gun types (i.e., rifles and shotguns).

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that information about gun type can be obtained and that significant differences exist in wounds per gun between long guns and handguns and between pistols and revolvers. Classification of long guns into rifles and shotguns and handguns into pistols and revolvers should be included in local, regional, and national data collection systems.

Copyright/Permission Statement

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Richmond, Therese S.; Branas, Charles C.; Cheney, Rose A.; Schwab, C William (2004) The Case for Enhanced Data Collection of Gun Type, The Journal of Trauma Injury Infection and Critical Care 57(6) pp 1356-1360.

Keywords

Firearms, Handguns, Wounds, Surveillance, Injury, Mortality

Recommended Citation

Richmond, T. S., Branas, C., Cheney, R., & Schwab, C. W. (2004). The Case for Enhanced Data Collection of Gun Type. The Journal of Trauma Injury Infection and Critical Care, 57 (6), 1356-1360. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.TA.0000141886.22472.F5