Rural Teen Exposure to Firearm Violence

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate rural adolescents’ personal experiences with firearm-related violence and how those experiences might affect their attitudes/beliefs toward firearms and safety strategies. METHODS: A convenience sample of 2021 National FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) Convention & Expo attendees were anonymously surveyed via paper or phone (Qualtrics). Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 3296 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years participated. Nearly half lived on a farm, one-third lived in the country/not on a farm, and one-fifth lived in town. More than one-third (35%) reported experiencing a school lockdown due to potential firearm violence concerns. Participants from the South had 1.7-fold greater odds of experiencing a lockdown than those from the Northeast. Approximately 10% had personally seen someone threatened with a firearm. Nearly half (46%) stated they knew someone who had been killed or injured by gunfire, and among these adolescents, 46% knew someone with an unintentional injury/death. Respondents with a handgun in the home had 1.6 times greater odds of knowing someone that was killed or injured by firearms. Adolescents who had experienced a school lockdown had greater odds of agreeing with multiple firearm safety interventions. Participants who knew someone that had been injured or killed by firearms had higher proportions that believed firearms in the home made them safer. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that many rural adolescents’ lives were affected by firearm violence exposure, and compared with peers, those exposed had differences in their attitudes toward firearms and safety strategies.