@article{ref1,
title="Self-protection versus fear of stricter firearm regulations: examining the drivers of firearm acquisitions in the aftermath of a mass shooting",
journal="Patterns (New York, N.Y.)",
year="2020",
author="Porfiri, Maurizio and Barak-Ventura, Roni and Marín, Manuel Ruiz",
volume="1",
number="6",
pages="e100082-e100082",
abstract="Discovering causal mechanisms underlying firearm acquisition can provide critical insight into firearm-related violence in the United States. Here, we established an information-theoretic framework to address the long-disputed dichotomy between self-protection and fear of firearm regulations as potential drivers of firearm acquisition in the aftermath of a mass shooting. We collected data on mass shootings, federal background checks, media output on firearm control and shootings, and firearm safety laws from 1999 to 2017. First, we conducted a cluster analysis to partition States according to the restrictiveness of their firearm-related legal environment. Then, we performed a transfer entropy analysis to unveil causal relationships at the State-level in the Wiener-Granger sense. The analysis suggests that fear of stricter firearm regulations is a stronger driver than the desire of self-protection for firearm acquisitions. This fear is likely to cross State borders, thereby shaping a collective pattern of firearm acquisition throughout the Nation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2666-3899",
doi="10.1016/j.patter.2020.100082",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2020.100082"
}