The findings were released earlier this year and demonstrate that firearm violence occurs in rural, suburban and urban areas across North Carolina. These data were compiled to be used as a tool for policymakers, local leaders, and community members alike to better understand what firearm violence looks like in their communities, as well as examples of evidence-based interventions that could be implemented.
To provide an accurate, interactive visual representation of firearm injury incidence, 黑料网 researchers developed a public facing 鈥溾�� featuring a series of color-coded N.C. maps depicting the number of fatal and nonfatal firearm injury incidents responded to by N.C. EMS on a county-by-county basis. These maps illustrate how firearm injury incidence differs across the state, not just for assaults but also self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries. Furthermore, firearm injuries often cluster in areas subject to greater social vulnerability (e.g., locations with higher levels of poverty, unemployment, and other adverse social determinants of health).
Firearms are a Leading Cause of Death and Serious Injury in N.C.
In 2022, there were killed by firearm violence in North Carolina, or about five deaths each day. This number represents a fraction of the total number of firearm injuries. For example, in 2022, N.C. EMS responded to 3,379 fatal and nonfatal incidents involving firearms.
Additional Findings from the Research Project Included:
- Poor social determinants of health are tied to higher levels of firearm听violence and听should be addressed to prevent gun violence.
- Different geographic areas and sociodemographic groups experience varying levels of violence, and the intention behind those injuries varies as well. These factors should be considered when selecting interventions.
- Safe storage is one intervention option for decreasing firearm violence, through keeping firearms out of the hands of children and other at-risk individuals.
- Other evidence-supported prevention programs address the root causes of poor social determinants of health, including through community and hospital-based violence prevention programs.
鈥淲e hope that through this data visualization platform, we are able to communicate that while prevalent throughout North Carolina, firearm violence is preventable, through measures such as safe storage of firearms. We are in ongoing communication with public health and violence prevention partners to continue building information tools that can inform their work,鈥� said Dr. Katie Harmon, P.I. on the project and Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
Collaborating in the research were Dr. Steve Marshall, Co-PI and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Core Faculty Member in the Injury Prevention Research Center; Dr. Anna Waller, Research Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Core Faculty Member in the Injury Prevention Research Center; Dr. Amy Ising, Associate Director for the Carolina Center for Health Informatics in the Department of Emergency Medicine; and Kathleen Higgins, Graduate Research Assistant and Program Manager in the Injury Prevention Research Center.
The research project was conducted with funding from the American Public Health Association.