Data for the report came from 50 face-to-face interviews with incarcerated youth, from querying youth survivors of violent crime, and from several focus groups with urban and suburban teenagers. The interviews and focus groups were a rich source of information about youth crime.
The researchers, authored by Center for Injury Control Director Arthur Kellermann, report that each of the 50 juvenile offenders knew someone who had been a victim of firearm violence, three quarters had observed a shooting, about half had been shot at and about three quarters had themselves fired at someone.
As youth violence has increased, so has the number of teenagers who have either witnessed or survived serious violence. "Among 44 participants who participated in these (youth survivors of violence) interviews, 12 (27 percent) had experienced one violent death, eight (18 percent) had experienced two, seven (16 percent) had experienced three, and four (9 percent) had experienced six violent deaths. The emotional consequences of being exposed to violence may have a lasting effect on child development," the researchers said.
Conclusions drawn by the researchers at the close of the study include the following:
* "The teens interviewed reported that guns are carried primarily for protection, generally from other teens. If a kid is involved in the drug trade, a gun is often carried as protection against robbery..."
* "... Many youth reported that guns can be purchased or borrowed from another kid, or a drug dealer. Others stated that it is easy to find an adult who is willing to trade a gun for drugs. New guns were often acquired through `straw purchasers' -- adults who are willing to legally purchase a firearm from a gun shop, then turn the weapon over to a kid for cash. Some young people spoke of going to `the gun man' -- an adult who regularly sells guns out of his car."
* "The suburban youth participants were more likely to claim that they would smuggle a gun from their parent's collection if they needed one in a hurry. The urban youth participants were more likely to buy or borrow a gun from a friend, family member or relative."
* "... In contrast to gun-owning adults, youth often pass weapons around. A particular firearm may pass through many hands, and a youth may own or carry several different firearms over a period of time."
* "Issues of school safety drew mixed opinions. Most respondents felt serious violence is worse outside school... school security measures were felt to have little effect, because youth believe it is easy to get around them. Several youth commented that the consequences of getting caught with a gun in school are far more serious than the consequences of getting caught with a gun on the street."
* "... none of the youth we interviewed identified `walking away' as a viable way to resolve a direct challenge.
* "Violence is a dominant theme in the lives of a majority of metro Atlanta youth participants in our interviews and focus groups."
-- Lorri Preston