Legacy of Racism and Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.

Objectives. To examine whether, through interactions with preexisting socioeconomic status vulnerabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated exposure to firearm violence among communities with a legacy of redlining (i.e., grading the creditworthiness of neighborhoods based on their sociodemographic...

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Published in:American Journal of Public Health Vol. 115; no. 2; pp. 161 - 170
Main Authors: Hans, Zainab, Lee, Daniel B., Zimmerman, Marc A., Wiebe, Douglas J.
Format: Article
Published: American Public Health Association Feb2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Feb2025
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      pub: American Public Health Association
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        10.2105/AJPH.2024.307891
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        atl: Legacy of Racism and Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.
      aug:
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          Hans, Zainab
          Lee, Daniel B.
          Zimmerman, Marc A.
          Wiebe, Douglas J.
      su:
        United States
        Socioeconomic factors
        Racism
        Corporations
        COVID-19 pandemic
        Social classes
        Poverty
        Educational attainment
        Research funding
        Mortgages
        Descriptive statistics
        Confidence intervals
        Shootings (Crime)
        Neighborhood characteristics
      sug:
        subj:
          Socioeconomic factors
          Racism
          Corporations
          COVID-19 pandemic
          Social classes
          Poverty
          Educational attainment
          United States
          Real Estate Credit
          Mortgage funds
          Research funding
          Mortgages
          Descriptive statistics
          Confidence intervals
          Shootings (Crime)
          Neighborhood characteristics
      ab: Objectives. To examine whether, through interactions with preexisting socioeconomic status vulnerabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated exposure to firearm violence among communities with a legacy of redlining (i.e., grading the creditworthiness of neighborhoods based on their sociodemographic composition). Methods. We used an exogenous population threshold whereby the Home Owners Loan Corporation graded neighborhoods only in US cities with populations of more than 40 000 and used a difference-in-difference strategy to examine the evolution of fatal firearm incidents between 2017 and October 2022. Results. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, fatal firearm violence increased significantly in low-graded neighborhoods that the Home Owners Loan Corporation had deemed risky for mortgage lending. The effect held consistently across various model specifications. Conclusions. Social and environmental constructs can interact in a complex manner to compound disadvantage and exacerbate the consequences of negative shocks for marginalized communities. Public Health Implications. Home Owners Loan Corporation policies contributed to widening racial disparities in firearm violence, highlighting the need for reinvestment in marginalized communities to keep future shocks from exacerbating vulnerability to adverse outcomes. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(2):161–169. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307891)
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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