Washington State Assault Weapon Firearm Violence Before and After Firearm Legislation Reform
Avneet Bhullar1, Jonathan Shipley1, Leonardo Alaniz1
1University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA.
The American Surgeon
|April 5, 2024
Summary
Washington State Initiative 1639 significantly reduced firearm violence (FV) and assault weapon (AW) incidents among individuals under 21. This targeted legislation shows promise in curtailing FV.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Criminology
- Gun Violence Research
Background:
- Washington State Initiative 1639, enacted in January 2019, prohibited individuals under 21 from purchasing assault weapons (AWs).
- This legislation aimed to address concerns regarding firearm violence (FV) involving young individuals and specific weapon types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of Washington State Initiative 1639 on firearm-related incidents involving assault weapons (AWs) among individuals under 21 years old.
- To determine if the law led to a decrease in these specific types of firearm incidents.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of firearm violence (FV) data from the Gun Violence Archive (2016-2021).
- Comparison of monthly incidents, injuries, and deaths pre-law (Jan 2016-Dec 2018) and post-law (Jan 2019-Dec 2021).
- Statistical analysis using Mann-Whitney U tests and Poisson's regression, with rates weighted per 100,000 people.
Main Results:
- Total FV incidents, assault weapon (AW) incidents, and AW incidents involving individuals under 21 significantly decreased post-Initiative 1639.
- Specifically, AW incidents committed by subjects under 21 dropped from 11 pre-law to 1 post-law.
- Regression analysis indicated higher incident rate ratios for all FV, all AW FV, and AW incidents by those under 21 pre-law compared to post-law.
Conclusions:
- Implementation of Washington State Initiative 1639 was associated with a significant reduction in firearm violence (FV) and assault weapon (AW) incidents involving individuals under 21.
- Findings suggest that targeted firearm legislation can be effective in reducing specific types of gun violence.
- Further research across different states is recommended to validate these findings and assess the broader impact of similar legislation.
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