Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Weapons”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Fears and other suspected risk factors for carrying lethal weapons among urban youths of middle-school age.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the strength of a suspected causal association between fearfulness and carrying a lethal weapon among urban middle-school students, while holding constant other suspected risk factors. DESIGN: A prospective study of an epidemiological sample assessed at baseline in 1992 and 1 year later, with relative risk estimates derived from the conditional form of the multiple logistic regression model used to hold constant alternative explanatory variables. SETTING: An urban environment in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. PARTICIPANTS: An epidemiological sample of 1131 youths enrolled in public middle schools. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Carrying a lethal weapon for protection or defense during a 1-year observation interval after the baseline assessment of fears and other suspected risk factors. RESULTS: Of the 1131 youths, 194 (17%) reported carrying a lethal weapon for protection or defense during the 1-year interval of follow-up observation after baseline; 937 youths (83%) reported that they had not carried a lethal weapon for any reason. Self-reported fears, deviant peer affiliation, and worrying were associated with risk of starting to carry a weapon. For youths with the lowest worrying scores, the lowest neighborhood danger scores, and the least affiliation with deviant peers, self-reported fears were associated with risk of starting to carry a lethal weapon (relative risk estimate, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-2.52; P = .01), even after holding constant age, sex, and conduct problems. However, the fear of crowded or closed-in places and the fear of leaving home alone were more salient risk factors than the fear of using public transportation or the fear of open spaces. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, youths with fears were at greater risk of carrying a lethal weapon for protection or defense, even when alternative explanatory variables were taken into account. Pending confirmation by other investigators, this new finding could point out a useful target for public health interventions to reduce the carrying of weapons and associated violence in urban America.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Weapons detection at two urban hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the type of weapons confiscated from an urban pediatric hospital and its affiliated general hospital. METHODS: This was a prospective evaluation of weapons confiscated from individuals entering 2 affiliated urban hospitals: a general hospital with over 85,000 emergency department visits and a freestanding children's hospital with over 45,000 emergency department visits. The security personnel are common between the 2 hospitals and use similar confiscation protocols. The institutions were evaluated between January 1, 2000 and August 31, 2000, which followed the implementation of weapons detectors at the children's hospital. The variety and scope of weapons confiscated were monitored. RESULTS: During the 8 months, 3706 metallic weapons were confiscated. This included 3446 from the general hospital and 260 from the children's center. The weapons confiscated at the general hospital compared with the children's hospital included guns (4 vs. 0), knives (2048 vs. 114), box cutter/razors (596 vs. 37), scissors (70 vs. 53), chemical sprays (205 vs. 50), tools (73 vs. 6), and other (450 vs. 0). CONCLUSIONS: While more weapons were confiscated at the larger general hospital, the traditional sense that children's hospitals are at minimal risk is unjustified. The alarming number of lethal concealed weapons confiscated from both institutions demonstrates the importance of deterrent security measures, including the use of metal detectors to protect families and staff.

Emergency Service, Hospital↗
PubMed1997

Weapons injuries during and after periods of conflict: retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relative frequency of weapon injuries during conflict and after periods of conflict in the absence of disarmament. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a database of war wounds. SETTING: Region with a protracted conflict between rival combatant groups and a subsequent transition to the uncontested military authority of a single power. SUBJECTS: 2332 people who received weapons injuries during the conflict or post-conflict periods and were admitted to hospital within 24 hours of injury. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage change in mean monthly admission rate by weapon type between conflict and post-conflict periods; annual incidence of injury by weapon type during conflict and post-conflict periods; percentage change in annual incidence by weapon type between conflict and post-conflict periods. RESULTS: Mean monthly admission rates for injuries from fragmentation munitions decreased by 8% between conflict and post-conflict periods and by 23% for injuries from mines and 32% for gunshot injuries. The decline in admissions for all injuries was 23%. After adjustment for population growth over the study period, declines in annual incidence were 22% for fragmentation munitions injuries, 34% for mine injuries, and 40% for gunshot injuries. The decline in incidence for all injuries was 33%. In-hospital mortality from weapons related injuries increased from 2.5% to 6.1% (P < 0.001) between conflict and post-conflict periods. CONCLUSIONS: In this setting, continued availability of weapons is associated with increased mortality and a level of injuries from weapons that is only somewhat reduced from that observed during a period of conflict.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Weapon carrying in Israeli schools: the contribution of individual and school factors.

The present study employed an ecological perspective to examine the relative predictive power of individual and school contextual factors on weapon carrying at school. The study is based on a nationally representative sample of 10,400 students in Grades 7 through 11 in 162 schools across Israel. Hierarchical logistic modeling examined the relationships between students and school-level variables and carrying weapons to school (guns, knives, and other weapons). The authors found that school context is associated with weapon carrying and increases the likelihood of having students with weapons in the school. For instance, schools with a large proportion of students from low-socioeconomic status (SES) families showed higher levels of weapon carrying. Furthermore, individual factors, such as victimization and fear, are positively associated with weapon carrying in school. The discussion highlights the importance of improving school climate to deal more effectively with weapon carrying to school.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Update on biological weapons and bioterrorism. Important that health services pay attention to unusual events].

Biological weapons and biological terrorism have recently been in focus due to the deliberate release of Bacillus anthracis via mail delivered in the USA. Since the 1930s biological weapons have been developed in a number of countries. In 1975 a biological and toxin weapons convention prohibiting the use of these weapons were signed by a large majority of world countries. Unfortunately, a number of countries have failed to respect this treaty. The Soviet union continued and expanded its biological weapons program and after the Gulf war it was revealed that Iraq also had an extensive bio-weapons program. Large scale deliberate release of for example B. anthracis or an epidemic following a release of smallpox virus would have a devastating effect. This has urged the world community to strengthen the biological and toxin weapons convention with a control function which as of yet has not been successful. Furthermore, many countries including Sweden, increase stocks of antibiotics and smallpox vaccines. Sweden is also increasing preparedness regarding diagnostics of these and similar agents and is setting up an epidemiological task force that can be used in infectious disease emergencies such as the deliberate release of a biological weapon.

Anthrax↗
PubMed1997

Vulnerability to victimization, concurrent problem behaviors, and peer influence as predictors of in-school weapon carrying among high school students.

Previous research has indicated the potential relevance of three constructs in the prediction of adolescent weapon carrying, (a) general delinquency, (b) self-protection, and (c) social influence. The current study tests the independent associations between in-school weapon carrying and these three constructs. The sample consisted of 504 students from seven southern California high schools. Overall, 25% of the sample carried a weapon to school in the last year. Self-defense was the most commonly reported reason for in-school weapon carrying. The results from a simultaneous logistic regression analysis indicated increased risk of in-school weapon carrying among students who are male, who are affiliated with gangs or tagging crews, who are exposed to peers who carry weapons to school, and who feel vulnerable to being victimized. Prevention programs targeted at reducing in-school weapon carrying may benefit from a comprehensive focus that includes efforts to reduce involvement in other problem behaviors, influence norms regarding weapon carrying, and reduce actual and perceived vulnerability to victimization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Factors associated with weapon use in maternal filicide.

The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with weapon use in a group of filicidal women. Clinical data were gathered from the charts of sixty filicidal women evaluated at Michigan's Center for Forensic Psychiatry or through Connecticut's Psychiatric Security Review Board from 1970 to 1996. Factors associated with weapon use were determined using chi squares, ANCOVAS, and a logistic regression. Results were compared to national statistics for child homicide from the Department of Justice Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). Weapon was defined as knife or gun for the study. Weapons were used by one of four women in our study. Guns were used by 13% of filicidal women and knives by 12%. Odds ratio showed that psychotic women were eleven times more likely to kill their child with a weapon than their non-psychotic counterparts (11.2; p = .008). Psychosis was present in every mother who killed her child with a knife and in seven of eight women who killed their children with a gun. Younger children were less likely to be killed with weapons (ANCOVA; F = 8.28; p = .006). This finding was independent of presence or absence of maternal psychosis. These results show that psychotic women are more likely than non-psychotic women to kill their children with weapons. They also show that mothers are more likely to use weapons to kill older children than younger children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Biological weapons and bioterrorism preparedness: importance of public-health awareness and international cooperation.

Biological weapons and biological terrorism have recently come into focus due to the deliberate release of Bacillus anthracis via mail delivered in the USA. Since the 1930s, biological weapons have been developed in a number of countries. In 1975, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention entered into force; this prohibits the use of these weapons and has been signed by a large majority of countries (144). Unfortunately, several countries failed to respect this treaty. The Soviet Union continued and expanded its biological weapons program, and after the Gulf War it was revealed that Iraq also had an extensive biological weapons program. Large-scale deliberate release of, Bacillus anthracis, for example, or an epidemic following a release of smallpox virus, would have a devastating effect. This has motivated the world community to strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention with a control mechanism which has, as yet, not been successful. Sweden, like other countries, is enhancing its preparedness with regard to stocks of antibiotics and vaccines, related to these improving the diagnostics these and similar agents, and is setting up an epidemiologic task force that can be used in infectious disease emergencies such as the deliberate release of biological warfare agents. International cooperation in this area has to be enhanced, not least in the European Union.

Biological Warfare↗
PubMed2005

Weapon performance, not size, determines mating success and potential reproductive output in the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris).

In territorial polygynous taxa, reproductive success reflects phenotypic variation. Using Crotaphytus collaris, a sexually dimorphic lizard in which males use the head (i.e., jaws and associated musculature) as a weapon when territorial interactions escalate to fights, we tested the hypothesis that weapon performance (i.e., bite force) is a better predictor of fitness than body or weapon size. Bite-force performance predicted the number of female home ranges overlapped, estimated mating success, and potential reproductive output. However, no body or weapon size measure correlated with these estimates of fitness, and only one weapon dimension (head width) correlated with bite force. These results indicate that weapon performance has far stronger effects on fitness than body or weapon size, likely because it directly influences fight outcomes. As such, it is desirable that the use of morphology as a proxy for performance and its presumed extensions to fitness be based on empirical morphology-performance relationships.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

BB and pellet guns--toys or deadly weapons?

BB and pellet weapons are not included in gun control laws and are often sold as children's toys. Injuries caused by these weapons have been considered trivial unless they involve vulnerable surface organs such as the eye. The purpose of this study was to review the management of six cases of pellet or BB gun injuries that required abdominal exploration at the University of South Alabama Medical Center from January 1980 through June 1982. Five of the six patients had significant internal injuries including perforations of the stomach, jejunum, liver, and pancreas. The ballistics of pneumatic weapons are reviewed. The muzzle velocities of many of these weapons necessitate that wounds caused by these weapons be handled with the same principles as for any small-caliber, low-velocity (less than 1,200 feet/second) weapons. Public education programs are urgently needed to educate parents as to the potential danger involved in purchasing these weapons for unsupervised use as toys by children.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed2003

Self-report weapon possession in school and patterns of early adolescent adjustment in rural african american youth.

Examined 345 6th-grade rural African American youth (189 boys, 156 girls) over 3 years with regard to carrying weapons in school. Recent investigations with nationally representative and urban samples have shown that carrying weapons in school fits into a larger pattern of problem behaviors, including aggression and substance use, which are supported by affiliations with other deviant youth. Very little work to date has specifically examined weapon carrying in rural African American youth. This study found that weapon carriers in the first year were primarily male, more aggressive, and had higher rates of substance use than noncarriers. Concurrent peer affiliations were not related to weapon carrying in the first year. However, among those who were not carriers in the 1st year, transitioning into weapon carrying was related to both individual marijuana use and peer-group aggression and marijuana use. Finally, over the 3 years of the study, weapon carriers tended to maintain their high levels of aggression, drinking, and marijuana use.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Effect of a security system on violent incidents and hidden weapons in the emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the number of weapons confiscated and assaults reported in an urban county emergency department before and after the implementation of a security system. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of security records for a 54-month period from 1992 to 1996. We determined the number of weapons and assaults before and after the implementation of a security system consisting of metal detectors, cameras, limited access, and a manned security booth at the ED entrance. We calculated the rates of weapons confiscated and assaults per 10,000 ED patients treated. RESULTS: Twenty-four weapons were confiscated before the implementation of the security system, and 40 were confiscated after the implementation ( P<. 001). The percentage of weapons confiscated in the patient care area decreased from 92% to 42% after the security system was installed (P<.001). Seven of the 17 weapons (41%) found in the patient care area after implementation were brought in by ambulance patients who bypassed the security booth and metal detector. The reported assaults per 10,000 patients, however, did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: The implementation of an ED security system increased the number and percentage of weapons confiscated before patients were placed in patient care areas, but did not decrease the number of assaults. This emphasizes the importance of continued training of ED personnel in the management of violent patients and potentially violent situations.

Emergency Service, Hospital↗
PubMed1992

Analyses of battle casualties by weapon type aboard U.S. Navy warships.

The number of casualties was determined for 513 incidents involving U.S. Navy warships sunk or damaged during World War II. Ship type and weapon were significant factors in determining the numbers of wounded and killed. Multiple weapon attacks and kamikazes yielded more wounded in action than other weapon types. Multiple weapons and torpedos resulted in a higher incidence of killed in action than other weapons. Penetrating wounds and burns were the most prominent injury types. Kamikaze attacks yielded significantly more burns than incidents involving bombs, gunfire, torpedos, mines, and multiple weapons. Mine explosions were responsible for more strains, sprains, and dislocations than the other weapon types.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed1987

Observations and statistics relating to suicide weapons.

The weapon at the scene of a suicide provides a resource in addressing such questions as frequency of blood in or on the weapon, location of the weapon with respect to the body, and evidence of firearm discharge residues on the hand. The first 195 weapons were tested for blood by a technique different from the following 202 weapons. Results were obtained which caused procedural changes in blood detection. Data are presented for frequency of blood in and on the muzzle of weapons, relative frequency of location of suicidal gunshot wound, and percent "positive" findings of gunshot residue metals on the hands. It was found that suicidal gunshot wounds were 3 times more frequent to the head than the chest, and that no significant difference was noted between males and females in this study. Scene photographs reveal that the suicide weapon is in or resting on the hand of the decedent 20% of the time with handguns and 11% of the time with long guns.

Blood↗
PubMed2003

Demographic, intrinsic, and extrinsic factors associated with weapon carrying at school.

BACKGROUND: Recent incidents of school violence have heightened the need to identify societal, interpersonal, and adolescent characteristics that contribute to weapon carrying. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of weapon carrying at school and to determine associated risk factors for adolescent males and females. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using the 1994-1995 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of 6504 adolescents and their parents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Whether adolescents have ever carried a weapon at school. STATISTICS: chi(2) Analyses and hierarchical regressions were done using SPSS (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill) and SUDAAN (Research Triangle Park, NC) software. Regression models included demographic, intrinsic, and extrinsic factors. RESULTS: Of the overall sample, 9.3% (n = 595) reported having carried a weapon at school. Of these, 77% were male (male vs female adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-4.1). Substance use, school problems, perpetration of violence, and witnessing violence were significantly associated with weapon carrying for both males and females. However, for males, extrinsic factors were more important in mediating the effects of substance use and perpetration of physical violence on school weapon carrying, while intrinsic factors mediate these variables for females. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that interventions for violence prevention for males and females need to be targeted toward different areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Violence and weapon carrying in music videos. A content analysis.

BACKGROUND: The positive portrayal of violence and weapon carrying in televised music videos is thought to have a considerable influence on the normative expectations of adolescents about these behaviors. OBJECTIVES: To perform a content analysis of the depictions of violence and weapon carrying in music videos, including 5 genres of music (rock, rap, adult contemporary, rhythm and blues, and country), from 4 television networks and to analyze the degree of sexuality or eroticism portrayed in each video and its association with violence and weapon carrying, as an indicator of the desirability of violent behaviors. METHODS: Five hundred eighteen videos were recorded during randomly selected days and times of the day from the Music Television, Video Hits One, Black Entertainment Television, and Country Music Television networks. Four female and 4 male observers aged 17 to 24 years were trained to use a standardized content analysis instrument. Interobserver reliability testing resulted in a mean (+/- SD) percentage agreement of 89.25% +/- 7.10% and a mean (+/- SD) kappa of 0.73 +/- 0.20. All videos were observed by rotating 2-person, male-female teams that were required to reach agreement on each behavior that was scored. Music genre and network differences in behaviors were analyzed with chi 2 tests. RESULTS: A higher percentage (22.4%) of Music Television videos portrayed overt violence than Video Hits One (11.8%), Country Music Television (11.8%), and Black Entertainment Television (11.5%) videos (P = .02). Rap (20.4%) had the highest portrayal of violence, followed by rock (19.8%), country (10.8%), adult contemporary (9.7%), and rhythm and blues (5.9%) (P = .006). Weapon carrying was higher on Music Television (25.0%) than on Black Entertainment Television (11.5%), Video Hits One (8.4%), and Country Music Television (6.9%) (P < .001). Weapon carrying was also higher in rock (19.8%) and rap (19.5%) videos than in adult contemporary (16.1%), rhythm and blues (6.9%), and country (6.3%) videos (P = .002). The videos with the highest level of sexuality or eroticism were found to be less likely to contain violence (P < or = .04). CONCLUSION: Because most music videos are between 3 and 4 minutes long, these data indicate that even modest levels of viewing may result in substantial exposure to violence and weapon carrying, which is glamorized by music artists, actors, and actresses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Self-reported weapon ownership, use, and violence experience among clients accessing an inner-city sexually transmitted disease clinic.

Little is known about the extent to which people who access public health care settings own/carry weapons and experience/perpetrate acts of violence. The purpose of this study was to describe weapon ownership and violence experiences of persons attending an inner-city sexually transmitted disease clinic. Face-to-face interviews were administered to 245 clients to assess weapon ownership, types of weapons carried, and experiences as victims or perpetrators of violent acts. Overall, 43.7% reported experience of carrying a weapon at some point in their lives. More men chose to carry guns; more women chose to carry knives or mace. Participants reported experiencing alarming levels of violence in the previous year: 30.5% experienced beatings, 23.9% reported being threatened with a gun, and 18.9% reported forced, unwanted sex. Persons with a history of carrying weapons were significantly more likely to report being both victims and perpetrators of violence. Persons who experienced violence in the previous month were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with an STD. Results show that STD clinics represent yet another setting wherein interventions to curb the extent of violence might be appropriate, and strategies to assist and protect those experiencing violence are needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The morality of weapons research.

I ask whether weapons research is ever justified. Weapons research is identified as the business of the engineer. It is argued that the engineer has responsibility for the uses to which the tools that he designs can be put, and that responsibility extends to the use of weapons. It is maintained that there are no inherently defensive weapons, and hence there is no such thing as 'defensive' weapons research. The issue then is what responsibilities as a professional the engineer has in regard to such research. An account is given to ground the injunction not to provide the means to harm as a duty for the engineers. This account is not, however, absolutist, and as such it allows justifiable exceptions. The answer to my question is thus not that weapons research is never justified but there must be a strong assurance that the results will only be used as a just means in a just cause.

Engineering↗