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Harvard Injury Control Research Center

Policy


Public health approach
These articles summarize the public health problems caused by firearms, and the public health approach to reducing firearm injuries.
Publication:  Hemenway, David. "A Public Health Approach to Firearms Policy" in Mechanic, David; Rogut, Lynn B; Colby, David C; Knickman, James R. eds.  Policy Challenges in Modern Health Care. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers U Press, 2005. pp. 85-98.Public health approach, lessons from other public health arenas



The public health approach to reduce the problems of motor vehicles, tobacco and alcohol is applied to firearms policy.
Major Findings: Manufacturers try to focus prevention efforts on the user rather than the product. Public health efforts emphasize systematic data collection and a multi-faceted policy approach that includes modifying the product and the environment.
Publication: Hemenway, David.  "The Public Health Approach to Motor Vehicles, Tobacco, and Alcohol, with Applications to Firearms Policy."  Journal of Public Health Policy.  2001; 22:381-402.

Effect on homicide of gun carrying laws
We analyzed the effect on homicide of changes in state-level gun carrying laws using pooled cross-sectional time-series data for 50 states from 1979-1998.
Major findings: There was no statistically significant association between changes in concealed carry laws and state homicide rates.  The finding was consistent across a variety of models.
Publication: Hepburn, Lisa; Miller, Matthew; Azrael, Deborah; Hemenway, David.  The Effect of Nondiscretionary Concealed Weapon Carrying Laws on Homicide."  Journal of Trauma. 2004; 56:676-681.


Effect of child access prevention laws on unintentional child firearm fatalities
We analyzed the effect on unintentional firearm fatalities to children of child access prevention (CAP) laws, which allow a firearm owner to be charged with a crime if a child gains access to an unsecured firearm, using pooled cross-sectional time series data for 50 states from 1979-2000.
Major findings: States that enacted CAP laws--with felony rather than misdemeanor penalties-- experienced grater subsequent declines in the rate of unintentional firearm deaths for children age 0 to 14 compared to states not enacting CAP laws.
Publication: Hepburn, Lisa; Azrael, Deborah; Miller, Matthew; Hemenway, David. "The Effect of Child Access Prevention Laws on Unintentional Child Firearm Fatalities, 1979-2000." Journal of Trauma.  2006; 61:423-28.