By UC Davis Health, August 26, 2019
Spikes in handgun purchases in 2012 after Sandy Hook and the re-election of President Barack Obama have been linked to a 4% increase in firearm injury in California, a UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) study has found.
The UC Davis School of Medicine study, published August 25 in Injury Epidemiology, assessed the sharp rise in handgun purchasing across 499 California cities and estimated whether the additional handguns increased fatal and non-fatal injuries in these communities. It is the first study to use a direct measure of handgun purchasing to link firearm purchases with subsequent firearm-related harm and to assess impact on firearm injury.
“We estimate there were 36,142 more-than-expected handgun acquisitions in California from the election through the 6-week period following the Sandy Hook school shooting,” said Hannah Laqueur, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at UC Davis. “This represents an increase of more than 55 percent over expected volume during this 11-week period.”
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