The Association Between State Minimum Wage and Firearm Homicides, 2000–2020

Federal law requires background checks for firearms purchased from licensed dealers, but states can extend requirements to private sales of handguns and purchases at gun shows (universal background checks for handguns [UBC-HG]). Although firearm homicide disproportionately affects African Americans, little is known about how UBG-HG impacts African Americans. We hypothesized that implementation of UBC-HG would reduce rates of firearm homicide of African Americans. We collected Centers for Disease Control firearm homicide counts for African American and white populations in the 50 states, 1999 to 2017. Laws were drawn from the State Firearm Laws Database. The exposure and outcome of interest were UBC-HG adoption and firearm homicide. We included non-Hispanic African American and non-Hispanic white populations. We used Poisson regression to perform a differences-in-differences analysis. A categorical variable for state accounted for time-stable state characteristics. We controlled for year to account for trends over time unrelated to policy. We controlled for state-specific, time-variable factors, including median household income, population younger than 25 years or 65 years or older, alcohol consumption, and count of firearm laws (UBC-HG excluded). Standard errors were adjusted for clustering at the state level. The firearm homicide rate among whites was 1.8 per 100,000 (interquartile range, 1.2-2.7) ranging from 1.4 in 2011 to 1.8 in 2016. The firearm homicide rate was 15.6 per 100,000 (interquartile range, 11.6-21.0) among African Americans, ranging from 14.0 in 2009 to 19.6 in 2017. While no significant difference in firearm homicides among whites (incidence rate ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.20) was appreciated, the passage of UBC-HG was associated with an 19% decrease in African Americans firearm homicides (incidence rate ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.94; p = 0.006). Implementing UBC-HG was associated with decreased firearm homicides among African Americans-the population most at risk. Expanding UBC-HG may be an effective approach to reducing racial disparities in firearm homicides. Epidemiological, level III.

Firearm homicides and suicides represent an ongoing public health concern in the United States. During 2018-2019, a total of 28,372 firearm homicides (including 3,612 [13%] among youths and young adults aged 10-19 years [youths]) and 48,372 firearm suicides (including 2,463 [5%] among youths) occurred among U.S. residents (1). This report is the fourth in a series* that provides statistics on firearm homicides and suicides in major metropolitan areas. As with earlier reports, this report provides a special focus on youth violence, including suicide, recognizing the magnitude of the problem and the importance of early prevention efforts. Firearm homicide and suicide rates were calculated for the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)† for the periods 2015-2016 and 2018-2019, separated by a transition year (2017), using mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Following a period of decreased firearm homicide rates among persons of all ages after 2006-2007 in large metropolitan areas collectively and nationally, by 2015-2016 rates had returned to levels comparable to those observed a decade earlier and remained nearly unchanged as of 2018-2019. Firearm suicide rates among persons aged ≥10 years have continued to increase in large MSAs collectively as well as nationally. Although the youth firearm suicide rate remained much lower than the overall rate, the youth rate nationally also continued to increase, most notably outside of large MSAs. The findings in this report underscore a continued and urgent need for a comprehensive approach to prevention. This includes efforts to prevent firearm homicide and suicide in the first place and support individual persons and communities at increased risk, as well as lessening harms after firearm homicide and suicide have occurred.

The Recent Rise in Homicide: An Analysis of Weekly Mortality Data, United States, 2018-2022.

Firearm violence is a major public health concern in the USA with firearm suicide and homicide accounting for the majority of gun deaths. The present work seeks to explore the role of firearm legislation in reducing suicide and homicide rates. Using the State Firearm Law Database (www.statefirearmlaws.org), suicide and homicide rates were compared across the 50US states from 1991 to 2017. A firearm regulations index was computed to represent the total number of state firearm laws. Generalized estimating equations were used to explore population-level increases or decreases in firearm regulations and their association with state suicide and homicide rates after controlling for several state-level covariates. Even after accounting for several key covariates (US region; time; gun ownership; percent of the state population that was White, Black, below the poverty line and 25years or older with a bachelor's degree; incarceration rate, unemployment rate and divorce rate), we found that firearm laws significantly predicted state firearm suicide and homicide rates. States with greater numbers of laws had reduced suicide and homicide rates compared with those with fewer laws. The present findings point to the role of firearm legislation in curbing rates of gun violence across the USA.

Background: After a 1996 firearm massacre in Tasmania in which 35 people died, Australian governments united to remove semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns and rifles from civilian possession, as a key...

Firearm homicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, with substantial racial disparities documented over time. Black Americans experience disproportionately higher rates of firearm homicide compared to White Americans, reflecting long-standing social, economic, and structural inequities. This study contributes to understanding the magnitude and trends of this disparity. We investigate the Black-White population-level disparity in firearm homicide rates over 45 years in the United States and estimate the fraction of excess deaths in the Black population attributable to firearm homicides. We measure racial disparities in firearm homicides as the ratio of age-adjusted rates between Black and White populations. Using annual national firearm homicide and population data from CDC WONDER (1979-2023), disaggregated by race, age, and sex, we calculate age-adjusted Black-White mortality ratios by year and sex, as well as the number of excess Black firearm homicide deaths attributable to these disparities. After a steady period of 1990-2010, the Black-White disparity began increasing and peaked in 2020 when the firearm homicide rate in males was 10.38 times higher in Blacks than Whites. There were 31,202 excess firearm homicides of Black people attributed to the Black-White racial disparity in 2021-2023. Despite significant declines in firearm homicides during the 1990s, the relative racial gap in firearm homicide has persisted and grown, reflecting the unequal burden of violence borne by the Black population during both declines and surges of violence.

Association of Housing Instability With Firearm Homicides in Major US Cities.

California's comprehensive background check and misdemeanor violence prohibition policies and firearm mortality

In this study we explored the association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide across the United States, by age groups. We used cross-sectional time-series data (1988-1997) to estimate the association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide. In region- and state-level analyses, a robust association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide was found. Regionally, the association exists for victims aged 5 to 14 years and those 35 years and older. At the state level, the association exists for every age group over age 5, even after controlling for poverty, urbanization, unemployment, alcohol consumption, and nonlethal violent crime. Although our study cannot determine causation, we found that in areas where household firearm ownership rates were higher, a disproportionately large number of people died from homicide.

Firearm violence remains a critical public health challenge, disproportionately impacting some US regions. County-level variation may hold key insights into how firearm mortality rates vary across the US. To model county-level changes in firearm mortality rates (total, homicide, and suicide) from 1989 to 1993 vs 2015 to 2019 and identify and characterize hot spots showing unexpected changes over time. This is a cross-sectional study with 2 time points using a novel small area estimation method to analyze restricted access mortality microdata by cause of death and US county. The analysis included 3111 US counties from 49 states and the District of Columbia from January 1, 1989, to December 31, 2019. Bayesian spatial models were fitted to map geographical variation in changes in age-standardized firearm mortality rates (per 100 000 person-years) from 1989 to 1993 vs 2015 to 2019. County outliers (or hot spots) were defined as having observed rates that fell outside the 95% credible intervals of their expected posterior predictive distribution. These counties were characterized using visualization and descriptive statistics of their characteristics. Data were analyzed from June to December 2021. County of residence. Five-year age-standardized mortality rates by US county, age, and cause of death for 1989 to 1993 and 2015 to 2019. Between 1989 and 2019, 1 036 518 firearm deaths were recorded in counties across the US. Suicide was the most common cause of firearm mortality (589 285 deaths) followed by homicide (412 231 deaths). Age-standardized rates (deaths per 100 000 individuals) for firearm deaths and suicides increased from 1989 to 1993 vs 2015 to 2019 (mean [SD] change, 0.16 [8.78] for firearm deaths and 1.21 [6.91] for suicides), while firearm homicides decreased (mean [SD] change, -0.39 [3.96]). However, these national trends were not homogeneous across counties and often varied by geographical region. The West and Midwest showed the most pronounced increases in firearm suicide rates, whereas the Southeast showed localized increases in firearm homicide rates, despite the national decreasing trend. Critical hot spots were identified in urban counties of Alabama, and firearm homicide rates (per 100 000) in Baltimore City, Maryland, almost doubled from 29.71 to 47.43, and by 2015 to 2019 it accounted for 66.7% of all firearm homicide in Maryland. By contrast, District of Columbia showed promising improvements over time, decreasing from 56.5 firearm homicides per 100 000 in 1989 to 1993 to 14.45 in 2015 to 2019. There was substantial variation in rates and changes in firearm deaths among US counties. Geographical hot spots may be useful to inform targeted prevention efforts and local policy responses.

Association Between State Minimum Wages and Suicide Rates in the U.S.

Homicide rates for persons 15 through 24 years old began to decline between 1993 and 1994, but recent trends in homicide rates by mechanism of homicide and urbanization group have not been described. To examine homicide trends from 1987 through 1995 for persons 15 through 24 years old by urbanization level. Homicide rates by urbanization level were analyzed using the Compressed Mortality File, a county-level mortality and population database maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the rural-urban continuum codes developed by the Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture. United States, 1987 through 1995, according to 5 urbanization strata: core, counties with the primary central city of a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of 1 million or more; fringe, remaining counties within an MSA of 1 million or more; medium, counties within an MSA of 250000 to 999999; small, counties in an MSA of less than 250000; and nonmetropolitan, counties not in an MSA. All persons 15 through 24 years old by race whose cause of death was homicide (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes E960-E969). Firearm and nonfirearm homicide rates and average annual percentage changes by 5 urbanization levels, race, and sex. From 1987 through 1991, the average annual firearm homicide rates among persons 15 through 24 years old among all 5 urbanization strata increased between 10.7% in small counties and 19.8% in fringe counties. From 1991 through 1993, the rates increased between 3.3% in core counties and 11.7% in small counties. From 1993 through 1995, the rates declined between 4.4% in fringe counties and 15.3% in medium counties. By 1995, firearm homicide rates among persons 15 through 24 years old ranged from 6.5 and 7.3 per 100000 in the nonmetropolitan and small counties, respectively, to 9.6 and 13.3 per 100000 in the fringe and medium strata, respectively, to 33.5 per 100000 in the core stratum. During 1987 through 1990, nonfirearm homicide rates either were stable or increased, and from 1990 through 1995, nonfirearm homicide rates declined in all 5 strata, on average 3.7% to 8.0% per year, with rates in 1995 ranging from 2.1 to 4.7 per 100000 across the strata. After increasing since 1987, firearm and nonfirearm homicide rates began declining between 1993 and 1995 among persons 15 through 24 years old. These declines are taking place across all urbanization strata and among white and black males and females.

State minimum wage laws and newly diagnosed cases of HIV among heterosexual black residents of US metropolitan areas

Statement of Purpose Minimum wage laws (MWLs) have the potential to affect risk factors for occupational injury such as stress, job satisfaction, and health. A prior study found that increasing state MWLs was associated with an increase in non-fatal occupational injuries. This study evaluates the associations between state MWLs and fatal occupational injuries. Methods Fatal occupational injury data from 2003–2017 were obtained from the national Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. LawAtlas provided information about state MWLs. Fifty-state regressions were fitted, with state MWLs modeled as: 1) an indicator variable, when state law exceeded the federal minimum wage, in a comparative interrupted time series and 2) a continuous variable, representing the dollar value of the state minimum wage, in a Poisson regression. Model covariates included: measures of poverty, share of the state population in the riskiest industries, other laws that might affect fatal occupational injuries, and state demographic variables. Results State MWLs higher than the federal rate are associated with a nonsignificant 1.63% decrease (CI: -9.18% to +5.91%) in fatal occupational injury rates. Every one dollar increase in the state minimum wage is associated with a nonsignificant 3.43% decrease (CI: -7.80% to +1.12%) in fatal occupational injuries. Conclusion State MWLs are not associated with an increased risk of fatal occupational injuries. Concerns that raising the minimum wage will cause employers to cut back on workplace safety measures may be unfounded. Further research is needed to determine if the non-significance of the results is caused by a lack of statistical power. Significance and Contributions to Injury and Violence Prevention Science This work builds on previous literature calling low wages an occupational health hazard. It can inform discussions on whether social policy can be used to help protect workers from injuries.

Cross-state differences in the minimum wage and out-of-state commuting by low-wage workers