EXPLORING THE FINANCIAL & PUBLIC HEALTH COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS Kirsten Hutzell Ajima Olaghere Catherine Gallagher George Mason University American Society of Criminology November 15, 2012

Background Previous Work Costs of adolescent firearm injuries Gallagher et al., 2012 We examined the costs and the relative stability of firearm injuries and deaths for year- olds. Found an unexpected stability in firearm injuries and deaths, contrary to current crime declines

Costs of hospital-based medical care for firearm injuries and deaths for year olds in the United States, 2005 (Gallagher et al., 2012) Costs of hospital-based medical care for year olds in the United States: Type of injuryTotal in millionsAverage cost Total cases Non-fatal firearm injuries$92 $11,7637,874 $77 (violence-related ) Fatal firearm injuries$16.4$58712,818 died $108.4 Non-fatal fall$328 $18,936 17,326 Fatal falls$1.58 $17, died

Firearm injury and death rates, per 100, year olds, (Gallagher et al., 2012)

Current Aims Firearm death rates among children and adolescents are decreasing nationally, these figures remain considerably high compared with historical rates in the U.S. (Cheng et al., 2001; Fingerhut & Christoffel, 2002) Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey: School Crime Supplement 2009 Results seek to highlight the: likelihood of students to bring firearms to school availability of firearms in schools medical attention and costs associated with firearms in schools.

Preliminary Findings Difficult to highlight prevalence of firearms and associated medical attention and costs: NCVS data alone insufficient Data does not support our inquiries: Too few observations Cannot test any assumptions about how previous work on adolescent firearm injuries may extrapolate to the school setting Appears reported school-based firearm injuries and fatalities are rare

Data Limitations Aim Examine: means of attack (all firearm related) and number of incidents Means of attack Weapon used (alt.) Data Firearm variables: very little cell count; students in 2009 did not report many firearms as a means of attack, given nearly the 9,000 incidents reported in N% Handgun15.2 Other gun15.2 Gun type unknown Shot57.6 Shot at, missed57.6 Hit w/gun in hand

Previous Research – Robers et al., 2012

Current Study Out of 4,333 responses, 40 students reported bringing a gun to school or on school grounds

School safety measures & bringing a gun to school

Next Steps Systematic Review Public health [School] crime and safety Injuries and fatalities Data integration Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School Survey on Crime and Safety Data Needs Need better data answer research questions related to school violence and weapons (this echoes earlier research by Dahlberg, L.L., 1998: “need more research to fully understand the relationship between weapon carrying and violence better”– study about violence in schools.)

Questions? Feedback? Kirsten Hutzell Ajima Olaghere