For school-aged youth, access to a gun can increase their risk for becoming a victim of or for committing a violent crime, including suicide and homicide.
It also increases a child’s risk of experiencing an unintentional injury or death. Youth may gain access to guns in school, friends’ homes or other settings. No matter the source, gun access can increase the chances of an adolescent being involved in an injury or crime.
But are some youth at even higher risk? Current evidence suggests that youth who have been bullied by their peers, traditionally (e.g., verbal, physical) and through cyber media (e.g., email, SMS, social media) may be especially vulnerable to gun violence. We know that bullied students tend to carry guns more frequently than nonbullied students.
Bullied youth are more likely to have gun access
Our recent study examined if youth who have been bullied are also more likely to report having access to a loaded gun without adult permission. Participants included students ages 12-18, who responded to the 2011 and 2013 School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey. The SCS asks students about their experiences during the current school year related to bullying, school security, exposure and access to weapons and illicit substances, and presence of gangs at school.
Of the 10,704 students included in this study, about 4 percent (446 students) said they could get access to a loaded gun without adult permission. This number is startlingly high, and should be of great concern given the frequency of school shootings in the U.S. It becomes even more concerning when we compare students’ self-reported experience of being bullied. Bullying has now taken on a far more dangerous aspect and needs to be addressed.
Originally published in The Conversation
