NCJ Number
196785
Journal
Future of Children Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer/Fall 2002 Pages: 101-117
Date Published
2002
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This document discusses behavioral approaches to gun violence prevention and the obstacles that hamper the effectiveness of these programs.
Abstract
Changing personal behavior--of both parents and children--is a key element in reducing gun violence among youth. Efforts to bring about these changes include community-based campaigns, laws and programs that encourage parents to store their guns safely, educational initiatives that focus on keeping children away from guns, and encouraging youth to resolve disputes without violence. However, these behavior-oriented programs have not shown much success. Supportive communities play a key role in protecting youth from violence in general, but the few community-based violence prevention programs that focus on youth have not shown a decrease in youth access or use of guns. Gun-free school zones, community revitalization efforts, after-school programs, and media promotions through billboards, mass mailings, and public service announcements are all examples of community activities aimed at modifying the behavior of individuals within communities. Behavioral programs and legal interventions aimed at parents, such as child access prevention laws and gun safety counseling, have not been proven to reduce youth gun violence due to parental misperceptions about children’s risk of injury and ability to protect themselves. A particularly difficult target for behavioral change programs is children and youth. Cognitive immaturity among younger children and perceptions of invulnerability among adolescents may be part of the reason. The differing thought processes of boys and girls and other gender differences also present obstacles to developing programs to prevent firearm injury. Most programs that seek to persuade youth to stay away from guns have not been proven effective. “Just Say No” programs may not be comprehensive enough to help children develop and retain the skills needed to stay safe around guns. Although these programs could be improved, they hold limited promise for reducing youth gun violence. 1 table, 83 endnotes, appendix