Community Firearm Violence Exposure and Weapon Carrying

Program

In this webinar we focus on community violence prevention, examining the complexities of firearm violence through the lens of recent research funded by NCGVR. Specifically, this session zeroes in on urban gun violence, the leading cause of death for young Black men.

In our first presentation, Charles Lanfear, Ph.D, discusses a longitudinal study of Chicago residents that exposes stark disparities in the experiences of firearm violence and firearm carrying based on race, sex, and birth cohort. Highlighting the varying ages of first exposure to gun violence and onset of gun carrying, the study emphasizes changing societal conditions over time and their impact on individuals' encounters with gun violence and gun carrying over the life course. Next, Elise White, Ph.D., offers an intimate look at the lives of young gun-carriers in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Through personal narratives, the research uncovers the pervasive fear driving these young individuals—predominantly Black men—to arm themselves, amidst a backdrop of limited economic opportunities and mistrust of law enforcement. In the final presentation, Dorothy Dillard, Ph.D, discusses the environmental factors influencing gun possession decisions among young Black men in high crime cities. By examining the lived experiences of these individuals, the presentation highlights a need for community-centric approaches to safety and prevention.

Presenters

Charles Lanfear: Exposure to Gun Violence and Concealed Gun Carrying from Childhood to Age 40 over a 25-Year Era of Change

Charles Lanfear is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Criminology in the University of Cambridge and a member of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). He researches communities, crime, and social change using methods from demography, epidemiology, and econometrics. His current research with the PHDCN focuses on gun carrying and exposure to gun violence over the life course. Dr. Lanfear's work has been published in Criminology, JAMA Network Open, and the Annual Review of Criminology.

NCGVR-funded project: Exposure to Guns and Gun Violence Across 25+ Years in the Lives of Multiple Birth Cohorts From Chicago

Elise White: "Two Battlefields": Opps, Cops, and NYC Youth Gun Culture

Elise White is the Interim Senior Director of Research and Policy, and Director of Action Research, at the Center for Justice Innovation in New York City. Dr. White’s work focuses on qualitative research and ethnography with hard-to-reach populations, exploring their experiences with interpersonal, social, and historical trauma; the relationship of these to violence and the criminal legal system; and methods of resistance, resilience, and healing. For the last two decades she has worked at the nexus of community organizing, criminal legal and policy reform, and community research. In addition to heading numerous evaluations, Dr. White has instituted a research program at the Center focusing on exploratory participatory research examining the contexts and situated understandings of those directly impacted by issues like urban gun violence, gender-based violence, and sex trafficking. She is chair of the Center’s Institutional Review Board. She teaches at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service and holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park.

NCGVR-funded project: “Got the Hammer on Me”: The Socio-Cultural Roots of Gun Use in the United States

Dorothy Dillard: Unlocking Gun-Violence Solutions: The Necessity and Power of Lived Experience

Dr. Dorothy Dillard earned her Doctorate at the University of Delaware in 1994. She is a sociologist and consultant with academic expertise in substance abuse treatment, disparities in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and offender programming. The overall goal of Dr. Dillard’s research program is to address the entrenched social and health disparities in marginalized communities and groups. For over 35 years, she has had the good fortune of conducting sociological research in both the academic and practice environments, gaining a more informed perspective on the need for translation research. Dr. Dillard has over 30 years researching, evaluating, and teaching and served as Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Delaware State University from 2014 to 2019. As Director of the Center for Neighborhood Revitalization and Research (CNRR), she is responsible for developing and overseeing research practice partnerships. As lead of the Community Engagement and Dissemination Core of DSU’s Interdisciplinary Health Equity Research Center, Dr. Dillard works with her CED team to advance community engaged research, establish and strengthen community engagement and partnerships, and strengthen translation research.

NCGVR-funded project: Dangerous Recipe: Ingredients Contributing to African-American Gun Violence