A preliminary investigation of inner city adolescents' perceptions of guns

Three hundred seventy-seven African-American and 201 white adolescents, primarily of low socioeconomic status, were surveyed on perceptions of guns. Chi-square analyses found significant differences by gender and ethnicity. African-American males were more likely to have a pistol at home (47%); both African-American males and females were more likely to have known someone who took a gun to school (57% and 47%) and to have personally known someone who had been shot (87% and 91%). Differences between African-American and white adolescents and between males and females regarding gun control, gun safety, and consequences of gun use are described.