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Copyright of Journal of Behcet Uz Children's Hospital is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Redlining began in the 1930s with the Home Owners' Loan Corporation; this discriminatory practice limited mortgage availability and reinforced concentrated poverty that still exists today. This study examines the relationship between historical redlining policies and present-day nonsuicide firearm fatalities. Visual Abstract. Historical Redlining and Present-Day Nonsuicide Firearm Fatalities: Redlining began in the 1930s with the Home Owners' Loan Corporation; this discriminatory practice limited mortgage availability and reinforced concentrated poverty that still exists today. This study examines the relationship between historical redlining policies and present-day nonsuicide firearm fatalities. Background: Redlining began in the 1930s with the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC); this discriminatory practice limited mortgage availability and reinforced concentrated poverty that still exists today. It is important to understand the potential health implications of this federally sanctioned segregation. Objective: To examine the relationship between historical redlining policies and present-day nonsuicide firearm fatalities. Design: Maps from the HOLC were overlaid with incidence of nonsuicide firearm fatalities from 2014 to 2022. A multilevel negative binomial regression model tested the association between modern-day firearm fatalities and HOLC historical grading (A ["best"] to D ["hazardous"]), controlling for year, HOLC area–level demographics, and state-level factors as fixed effects and a random intercept for city. Incidence rates (IRs) per 100 000 persons, incidence rate ratios (IRRs), and adjusted IRRs (aIRRs) for each HOLC grade were estimated using A-rated areas as the reference. Setting: 202 cities with areas graded by the HOLC in the 1930s. Participants: Population of the 8597 areas assessed by the HOLC. Measurements: Nonsuicide firearm fatalities. Results: From 2014 to 2022, a total of 41 428 nonsuicide firearm fatalities occurred in HOLC-graded areas. The firearm fatality rate increased as the HOLC grade progressed from A to D. In A-graded areas, the IR was 3.78 (95% CI, 3.52 to 4.05) per 100 000 persons per year. In B-graded areas, the IR, IRR, and aIRR relative to A areas were 7.43 (CI, 7.24 to 7.62) per 100 000 persons per year, 2.12 (CI, 1.94 to 2.32), and 1.42 (CI, 1.30 to 1.54), respectively. In C-graded areas, these values were 11.24 (CI, 11.08 to 11.40) per 100 000 persons per year, 3.78 (CI, 3.47 to 4.12), and 1.90 (CI, 1.75 to 2.07), respectively. In D-graded areas, these values were 16.26 (CI, 16.01 to 16.52) per 100 000 persons per year, 5.51 (CI, 5.05 to 6.02), and 2.07 (CI, 1.90 to 2.25), respectively. Limitation: The Gun Violence Archive relies on media coverage and police reports. Conclusion: Discriminatory redlining policies from 80 years ago are associated with nonsuicide firearm fatalities today. Primary Funding Source: Fred Lovejoy Housestaff Research and Education Fund. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 45,000 gun deaths occur annually in the United States, a country with more than 100 million gun owners and more than 350 million guns. Nevertheless, passing legislation to reduce gun violence is difficult because the issue is intensely polarized. Polls asking about general gun policies (e.g., AR-15 restrictions) demonstrate that, at least in the abstract, Americans disagree vehemently about whether civilians should be able to keep and bear arms. It is possible, however, that a hidden consensus exists in America, which has thus far escaped attention--specifically, that when the focus is on their immediate environments and daily lives, even traditionally pro-gun groups may exhibit aversion to certain types of gun ownership and storage practices. To test this, we conducted two preregistered survey experiments with a large national sample. The first was a conjoint analysis where respondents chose between neighbors (n = 33,596 choices) who randomly varied on seven attributes, including gun ownership (none, pistol, AR-15). No group of respondents, not even traditionally pro-gun groups (e.g., Republicans), exhibited a significant preference for living near gun owners, and every group was averse to AR-15-owning neighbors. The second experiment, per debates about safe-storage laws, was a picture-based factorial vignette that randomized a neighbor's gun storage practices (n = 2,098). Every group of respondents was averse to interacting with a neighbor who stored guns outside of a locked safe. Our findings demonstrate that there is widespread agreement that certain types of gun ownership and storage practices are undesirable for communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the intersection of gun laws and gun deaths in the U.S. and provides a theological assessment of this issue. It discusses the alarming statistics of gun-related deaths; emphasizes the Catholic Church's commitment to the sanctity of life; examines the empirical insights into how gun policies can affect gun deaths; and impactful gun control policies based on Catholic convictions regarding the common good and the preservation of life.

We present a theoretical model predicting that racially biased policing produces (1) more use of potentially lethal force by firearms against Black civilians than against White civilians and (2) lower fatality rates for Black civilians than White civilians. We empirically evaluate this second prediction with original officer-involved shooting data from 2010 to 2017 for eight local police jurisdictions, finding that Black fatality rates are significantly lower than White fatality rates and that this significance would survive an omitted covariate three times as strong as any of our observed covariates. Furthermore, using outcome test methodology and a comparability assumption, we estimate that at least 30% of Black civilians shot by the police would not have been shot had they been White. An omitted covariate would need to be at least three times as strong as any of our observed covariates to eliminate this finding. Finally, any omitted covariate would have to affect Black fatality rates substantially more than Hispanic fatality rates in order to be consistent with the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that states in the US that require both universal background checks and state permits for gun purchases have lower firearm homicide rates compared to states that only require background checks at the point of sale. The researchers analyzed firearm laws and homicide rates from 1976 to 2022 in 48 states and found that states with permit requirements saw an 18% reduction in firearm homicide rates, while states without permit requirements only saw a 4% drop. The researchers suggest that the face-to-face interactions with law enforcement and the search through state databases required for obtaining a permit may contribute to the lower rates of gun violence. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the alarming rise in pediatric gunshot injuries in the US over the past 20 years, highlighting its distinction from similar countries and the surge in firearm circulation. Topics discussed include the increasing number of firearm-related fatalities among children, the role of background checks in firearm access, and the disproportionate impact on minority and low-resource communities.

This ethnographic study follows a group of Black teenage boys in their Philadelphia high school and online in the years following the shooting death of their friend. Within their peer group, the boys generally focus their shared memorializations on upbeat and affirming reminiscences, protecting each other from sadness but constraining their own emotional displays. In contrast, in the boys' private worlds, most spend years actively working through their grief in material and embodied ways, including through objects they keep or wear. On social media, these private and public worlds converge as the boys regularly share their private grief expressions with public audiences and define their digital identities by loss. Contrary to popular worries about adolescent social media use, this research finds that for grieving Black boys online worlds offer unusual space for emotional freedom, social support, and solidarity around loss and a counter to restrictive racialized and gendered feeling rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Firearm fatalities are a major public health concern, claiming the lives of 40,000 Americans each year. While firearm fatalities have pervasive effects, it is unclear how social determinants of health (SDOH) such as residential racial segregation, income inequality, and community resilience impact firearm fatalities. This study investigates the relationships between these SDOH and the likelihood of firearm fatalities. Methods: County-level SDOH data from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality for 2019 were analyzed, covering 72 Wisconsin counties. The dependent variable was the number of firearm fatalities in each county, used as a continuous variable. The independent variable was residential racial segregation (Dissimilarity Index), defined as the degree to which non-White and White residents were distributed across counties, ranging from 0 (complete integration) to 100 (complete segregation), and higher values indicate greater residential segregation (categorized as low, moderate, and high). Covariates were income inequality ranging from zero (perfect equality) to one (perfect inequality) categorized as low, moderate, and high, community resilience risk factors (low, moderate, and high risks), and rural-urban classifications. Descriptive/summary statistics, unadjusted and adjusted negative binomial regression adjusting for population weight, were performed using STATA/MPv.17.0; P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. ArcMap was used for Geographic Information System analysis. Results: In 2019, there were 802 firearm fatalities. The adjusted model demonstrates that the risk of firearm fatalities was higher in areas with high residential racial segregation compared to low-segregated areas (IRR.:1.26, 95% CI:1.04–1.52) and higher in areas with high-income inequality compared to areas with low-income inequality (IRR.:1.18, 95% CI:1.00–1.40). Compared to areas with low-risk community resilience, the risk of firearm fatalities was higher in areas with moderate (IRR.:0.61, 95% CI:0.48–0.78), and in areas with high risk (IRR.:0.53, 95% CI:0.41–0.68). GIS analysis demonstrated that areas with high racial segregation also have high rates of firearm fatalities. Conclusion: Areas with high residential racial segregation have a high rate of firearm fatalities. With high income inequality and low community resilience, the likelihood of firearm fatalities increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has been integrated into the practice of many forensic pathologists. To evaluate the utility of PMCT in supplementing and/or supplanting medicolegal autopsy, we conducted a prospective double‐blind comparison of abnormal findings reported by the autopsy pathologist with those reported by a radiologist reviewing the PMCT. We reviewed 890 cases: 167 with blunt force injury (BFI), 63 with pediatric trauma (under 5 years), 203 firearm injuries, and 457 drug poisoning deaths. Autopsy and radiology reports were coded using the Abbreviated Injury Scale and abnormal findings and cause of death (COD) were compared for congruence in consensus conferences with novel pathologists and radiologists. Overall sensitivity for recognizing abnormal findings was 71% for PMCT and 74.6% for autopsy. Sensitivities for PMCT/autopsy were 74%/73.1% for BFI, 61.5%/71.4% for pediatric trauma, 84.9%/83.7% for firearm injuries, and 56.5%/66.4% for drug poisoning deaths. COD assigned by reviewing PMCT/autopsy was correct in 88%/95.8% of BFI cases, 99%/99.5% of firearm fatalities, 82.5%/98.5% of pediatric trauma deaths, and 84%/100% of drug poisoning deaths of individuals younger than 50. Both autopsy and PMCT were imperfect in recognizing injuries. However, both methods identified the most important findings and are sufficient to establish COD in cases of BFI, pediatric trauma, firearm injuries and drug poisoning in individuals younger than 50. Ideally, all forensic pathologists would have access to a CT scanner and a consulting radiologist. This would allow a flexible approach that meets the diagnostic needs of each case and best serves decedents' families and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in working-age mortality rates in the United States in recent decades largely reflects stalled declines in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality alongside rising mortality from alcohol-induced causes, suicide, and drug poisoning; and it has been especially severe in some U.S. states. Building on recent work, this study examined whether U.S. state policy contexts may be a central explanation. We modeled the associations between working-age mortality rates and state policies during 1999 to 2019. We used annual data from the 1999–2019 National Vital Statistics System to calculate state-level age-adjusted mortality rates for deaths from all causes and from CVD, alcohol-induced causes, suicide, and drug poisoning among adults ages 25–64 years. We merged that data with annual state-level data on eight policy domains, such as labor and taxes, where each domain was scored on a 0–1 conservative-to-liberal continuum. Results show that the policy domains were associated with working-age mortality. More conservative marijuana policies and more liberal policies on the environment, gun safety, labor, economic taxes, and tobacco taxes in a state were associated with lower mortality in that state. Especially strong associations were observed between certain domains and specific causes of death: between the gun safety domain and suicide mortality among men, between the labor domain and alcohol-induced mortality, and between both the economic tax and tobacco tax domains and CVD mortality. Simulations indicate that changing all policy domains in all states to a fully liberal orientation might have saved 171,030 lives in 2019, while changing them to a fully conservative orientation might have cost 217,635 lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ample research explores individual factors associated with sexual violence, yet individual, dyadic, and environmental influences on intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) occurring in the larger context of non-intimate partner violence (NIPSV) remain relatively unexplored. The current study aimed to determine the extent to which county-level indicators in combination with individual and dyadic factors are associated with sexual violence across relationship types. Reported IPSV and NIPSV cases were obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) online incident-based reporting system. County-level variables indicative of neighborhood physical disorder, violent crime, income inequality, firearm prevalence, and community alcohol use patterns were retrieved from the online resource County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Using a nested case–control design, we determined significant sexual violence risk within younger cohorts and across relationship types, finding three significant county-level factors: 1) income inequality, 2) rate of firearm fatalities, and 3) percentage of female residents. Suggested prevention and intervention efforts include targeting younger age groups for IPSV and NIPSV education, developing resources for a range of relational partners, improving legal access and law enforcement training for reporting, and continued examination of the role of firearms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the epidemic of gunshot injuries and firearm fatalities continues to proliferate in the United States, knowledge regarding gunshot wound (GSW) injury and management is increasingly relevant to health-care providers. Unfortunately, existing guidelines are largely outdated, written in a time that high-velocity weapons and deforming bullets were chiefly restricted to military use. Advances in firearm technology and increased accessibility of military grade firearms to civilians has exacerbated the nature of domestic GSW injury and complicated clinical decision-making, as these weapons are associated with increased tissue damage and often result in retained bullets. Currently, there is a lack of literature addressing recent advances in the field of projectile-related trauma, specifically injuries with retained bullets. This review aims to aggregate the available yet dispersed findings regarding ballistics, GSW etiology, and treatment, particularly for cases involving retained projectiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Legal Medicine / Adli Tıp Bülteni is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Suicide involves a complex set of behaviors and emotions that lead up to actions that may be based on planning and forethought or the result of impulse. While there are a host of antecedent circumstances the presence of a mood disorder, primarily depression, is the most common factor in suicide. While management of depression is recognized as important prevention strategy in depression, the means by which suicide occurs must be a critical element of prevention. Policies that lower access to the means for suicide will decrease the fatality. Guns are associated with half of suicides and the case fatality rate of gun associated suicide is over 90% compared to 7% for all other means. This emphasizes the importance of offering strategies that limit access to guns to those at higher risk for suicide. A declaration of formal self‐exclusion for access to firearms (guns and ammunition) offers the individual at greater risk for suicide to place themselves on an official list that would prevent them from purchasing lethal weapons. A person with depression, when well, might wish to enroll voluntarily to prevent themselves, when ill, from procuring a weapon to harm themselves or others. This recognizes the autonomy of the person and protects both the individual, the family, and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fatal mass shootings, defined as four or more people killed by gunfire, excluding the perpetrator, account for a small percentage of firearm homicide fatalities. Research has not extensively focused on the role of domestic violence (DV) in mass shootings in the United States. This study explores the role of DV in mass shootings in the United States. Methods: Using 2014–2019 mass shooting data from the Gun Violence Archive, we indexed our data by year and mass shooting and collected the number of deaths and injuries. We reviewed news articles for each mass shooting to determine if it was 1) DV-related (i.e., at least one victim of a mass shooting was a dating partner or family member of the perpetrator); 2) history of DV (i.e., the perpetrator had a history of DV but the mass shooting was not directed toward partners or family members); or 3) non-DV-related (i.e., the victims were not partners or family members, nor was there mention of the perpetrator having a history of DV). We conducted descriptive analyses to summarize the percent of mass shootings that were DV-related, history of DV, or non-DV-related, and analyzed how many perpetrators died during the incidents. We conducted one-way ANOVA to examine whether there were differences in the average number of injuries or fatalities or the case fatality rates (CFR) between the three categories. One outlier and 17 cases with unknown perpetrators were excluded from our main analysis. Results: We found that 59.1% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 were DV-related and in 68.2% of mass shootings, the perpetrator either killed at least one partner or family member or had a history of DV. We found significant differences in the average number of injuries and fatalities between DV and history of DV shootings and a higher average case fatality rate associated with DV-related mass shootings (83.7%) than non-DV-related (63.1%) or history of DV mass shootings (53.8%). Fifty-five perpetrators died during the shootings; 39 (70.9%) died by firearm suicide, 15 (27.3%) were killed by police, and 1 (1.8%) died from an intentional overdose. Conclusions: Most mass shootings are related to DV. DV-related shootings had higher CFR than those unrelated to DV. Given these findings, restricting access to guns by perpetrators of DV may affect the occurrence of mass shootings and associated casualties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cases of gunshot injuries among trauma patients admitted in the emergency room are fatal cases in Turkey as much as all over the world. It is perhaps the most complex group among trauma patients. Because the route of the bullet fragment, how much damage it causes on its way and which organ or organs will be harmed cannot be understood immediately so long-term follow-up may be required. Case report: A 48-year-old civilian male patient brought to our hospital after gunshot injury. It was found that he was injured with pellets in many parts of his body. He was not operated on to prevent possible bleeding and to remove the pellets. Instead, vital signs were followed. Results and Conclusion: Most of the patients who are injured by guns die. The most important reason for this is acute and large amount of bleeding. In this article, we will present a patient who has been exposed to multiple pellet shots but survived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injuries and fatalities due to firearms are a major burden on public health in the US. The rise in gun violence in popular movies has been suggested as a potential cultural influence on this behavior. Nevertheless, homicide rates have not increased over recent decades in the US, suggesting that media portrayals have had little influence on gun violence. Here we challenge this interpretation by examining trends in the proportion of violence that are attributable to firearms, a measure that should be more sensitive to media violence. In addition, we examine trends in the portrayal of guns in popular television (TV) dramas, which are viewed more frequently than movies. We ask (a) whether gun violence has increased in these TV shows not only on an absolute basis but also as a proportion of violent scenes and (b) whether trends in gun portrayal on these shows are associated with corresponding trends in the proportion of real-world violence attributable to firearms in the US from 2000 to 2018. To answer these questions, we coded annual instances of violence, gun violence, and proportion of violence involving guns for each 5-minute segment of 33 popular TV dramas in the police, medical, and legal genres from 2000 to 2018. Trends in annual rates of violence, gun violence and proportion of violence involving guns were determined over the study period and were compared to annual rates of homicide attributable to firearms in three age groups: 15–24, 25–34 and 35 and older. Although violence on TV dramas peaked in 2011, gun use steadily increased over the study period both in absolute terms and in relation to other violent methods. The latter metric paralleled trends in homicides attributable to firearms for all three age groups, with the strongest relationship for youth ages 15–24 (R2 =.40, P =.003). The positive relation between relative amount of TV violence involving guns and actual homicides due to firearms, especially among youth, is consistent with the hypothesis that entertainment media are contributing to the normative acceptance of guns for violent purposes. Future research is needed to study the influence of media violence on gun acquisition at the individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and objective: The United States (US) has the highest rate of firearm suicides in the world. The US and Canada are comparable countries with markedly different rates of firearm ownership, providing an opportunity to estimate suicide fatalities that could be averted in the US with a lower rate of firearm ownership. Methods: We compared 2016 US suicide fatality rates–standardized within fourteen sex-specific age groups to reflect the ethnic composition of Canada–to 2016 Canadian suicide rates. We then calculated the number and proportion of suicides that could be averted in the US if the US had the same rates of suicide as in Canada. Results: If the US had the same suicide rates as in Canada, we estimate there would be approximately 25.9% fewer US suicide fatalities, equivalent to 11,630 suicide fatalities averted each year. This decline would be driven by a 79.3% lower rate of firearm-specific suicide fatalities. The male suicide fatality rate would be 28.8% lower and equivalent to 9,992 fewer suicide fatalities each year. The female suicide fatality rate would be 16.0% lower and equivalent to 1,638 fewer suicide fatalities each year. While 36% of firearm suicide fatalities could be replaced by non-firearm suicide fatalities, 64% of firearm fatalities could be averted entirely. Conclusions: US policymakers may wish to consider policies that would reduce rates of firearm ownership, given that that about 26% of US suicide fatalities might be averted if the US had the same suicide rates as in Canada, a country with drastically lower firearm ownership rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of a comparatively inexpensive radiographic system such as the Lodox® scanner in forensic facilities where CT-imaging and radiologist support is not financially viable will be explored. Prodigious caseloads in many under-resourced mortuaries preclude the use of advanced radiological modalities. The aim of this research is to examine the utilization of the Lodox® scanner in one of the busiest mortuaries in South Africa in relation to the nature of the cases scanned and, furthermore, to provide case studies where this imaging modality proved vital in the examination of the deceased and in the approach to the autopsy. The research is a retrospective epidemiological review on the use of the Lodox® scanner at the Salt River Medico-legal Laboratory, Cape Town, South Africa, from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017. A total of 3885 cases was admitted to the mortuary; the majority was scanned. A large proportion of cases were male. Ages ranged from foetuses to the elderly. The manner of death in more than a third of the cases was homicide which mainly involved firearm fatalities. This was followed by natural deaths. Pertinent case studies are presented to demonstrate that the use of the Lodox® scanner as an adjunct (or even obviating autopsy) proves to save time and labour and is financially beneficial. In conclusion, the Lodox® scanner is an indispensable tool in mortuaries with heavy caseloads because its use improves quality assurance, saves time, and is cost effective in the examination of both natural and unnatural deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Firearms are a highly lethal and commonly used means of suicide. Firearm retailers may be an important group of community members to train as they guide sales and have conversations about firearm-related laws and safety issues with customers. This study presents findings from the largest survey to date of independently owned firearm retailers (n = 178) in Washington State with the goal of ascertaining the extent of willingness to engage in suicide prevention efforts and factors that may underlie willingness.Methods: Descriptive analyses and logistic regressions assess factors related to self-reported willingness to engage in suicide prevention activities guided by a well-tested theoretical model.Results: Respondents are unaware that suicide is the leading type of firearm fatality and have high levels of exposure to suicide in their personal and professional lives. The majority endorse a willingness to learn and engage in suicide prevention activities. Knowledge about warning signs of suicide and beliefs about the preventability of suicide are predictive of a willingness to engage in prevention efforts. Reluctance to discuss personal issues with customers is negatively associated with willingness to engage in prevention efforts.Conclusions: Suggestions for how to improve outreach to firearm retailers to enhance suicide prevention efforts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally ignoring firearm‐deaths by suicide, "common sense" divides gun violence into two distinct types of phenomena: urban gun violence and mass shootings. At a cursory level, these phenomena seem distinct because of the difference in the number of victims killed during a particular shooting, rather than subtypes co‐creating a master category defined by gun violence. As a result, gunshot deaths of black and brown bodies in urban settings, which constitute the majority of deaths by gun violence after suicide, are viewed as routine whereas gunshot deaths in suburban settings are extraordinary and worthy of outrage. In this article, we draw on ethnographic observation to compare protest vigils in urban communities comprised predominantly of people of color, in suburban areas that are mostly white, and at the national level in order to uncover the racialized processes of symbolic classification by which this "commonsense" view is produced and how it is challenged by activists. We use the framework of cultural pragmatics to analyze these vigils, making visible the racialized forms of domination that structure activism and, we contend, ultimately divide gun violence into two distinct phenomena rather than constituting a master category. We argue that cultural pragmatics provides a way to understand what it means to challenge culture as emphasized by the multi‐institutional politics approach to social movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of forensic science, bullet identification is based on the fact that firing the cartridge from a barrel leaves exclusive microscopic striation on the fired bullets as the fingerprint of the firearm. The bullet identification methods are categorized in 2‐D and 3‐D based on their image acquisition techniques. In this study, we focus on 2‐D optical images using a multimodal technique and propose several distinct methods as its modalities. The proposed method uses a multimodal rule‐based linear weighted fusion approach which combines the semantic level decisions from different modalities with a linear technique that its optimized modalities weights have been identified by the genetic algorithm. The proposed approach was applied on a dataset, which includes 180 2‐D bullet images fired from 90 different AK‐47 barrels. The experimentations showed that our approach attained better results compared to common methods in the field of bullet identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Medical News article discusses renewed federal funding for gun violence research, which had largely been on hold for about 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights that unintentional firearm injuries are a significant cause of death for US children aged 1 to 17, with about 3 percent of fatalities attributed to such incidents; a analysis highlights that almost half of these deaths occur at home.

Introduction: Cases of gunshot injuries among trauma patients admitted in the emergency room are fatal cases in Turkey as much as all over the world. It is perhaps the most complex group among trauma patients. Because the route of the bullet fragment, how much damage it causes on its way and which organ or organs will be harmed cannot be understood immediately so long-term follow-up may be required. Case report: A 48-year-old civilian male patient brought to our hospital after gunshot injury. It was found that he was injured with pellets in many parts of his body. He was not operated on to prevent possible bleeding and to remove the pellets. Instead, vital signs were followed. Results and Conclusion: Most of the patients who are injured by guns die. The most important reason for this is acute and large amount of bleeding. In this article, we will present a patient who has been exposed to multiple pellet shots but survived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2015 there were 36,252 firearm-related deaths and 84,997 nonfatal injuries in the United States. The longitudinal burden of these injuries through readmissions is currently underestimated. We aimed to determine the 6-month readmission risk and hospital costs for patients injured by firearms. Methods: We used the Nationwide Readmission Database 2010–2015 to assess the frequency of readmissions at 6 months, and hospital costs associated with readmissions for patients with firearm-related injuries. We produced nationally representative estimates of readmission risks and costs. Results: Of patients discharged following a firearm injury, 15.6% were readmitted within 6 months. The average annual cost of inpatient hospitalizations for firearm injury was over $911 million, 9.5% of which was due to readmissions. Medicare and Medicaid covered 45.2% of total costs for the 5 years, and uninsured patients were responsible for 20.1%. Conclusions: From 2010–2015, the average total cost of hospitalization for firearm injuries per patient was $32,700, almost 10% of which was due to readmissions within 6 months. Government insurance programs and the uninsured shouldered most of this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To determine if remediating blighted vacant urban land reduced firearm shooting incidents resulting in injury or death. Methods. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in which we assigned 541 randomly selected vacant lots in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to 110 geographically contiguous clusters and randomly assigned these clusters to a greening intervention, a less-intensive mowing and trash cleanup intervention, or a no-intervention control condition. The random assignment to the trial occurred in April and June 2013 and lasted until March 2015. In a difference-in-differences analysis, we assessed whether the 2 treatment conditions relative to the control condition reduced firearm shootings around vacant lots. Results. During the trial, both the greening intervention, −6.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = −10.6%, −2.7%), and the mowing and trash cleanup intervention, −9.2% (95% CI = −13.2%, −4.8%), significantly reduced shootings. There was no evidence that the interventions displaced shootings into adjacent areas. Conclusions. Remediating vacant land with inexpensive, scalable methods, including greening or minimal mowing and trash cleanup, significantly reduced shootings that result in serious injury or death. Public Health Implications. Cities should experiment with place-based interventions to develop effective firearm violence–reduction strategies. Trial Registration. This trial was registered with the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (study ID ISRCTN92582209; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN92582209). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]