The Handgun Access—NYC Youth Violence Survey is a survey conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to assess the prevalence of handgun access among youth in the city. The survey was conducted in 2018 and involved a sample of 1,500 youth aged 14–24 in New York City. The survey asked questions about the youth’s access to handguns, as well as their attitudes and beliefs around gun violence. The survey found that approximately one in five youth reported having access to a handgun. The survey also found that youth with access to a handgun were more likely to report having been in a physical fight in the past year and to report having carried a weapon in the past year. Additionally, the survey found that youth with access to a handgun were more likely to report having witnessed a shooting in the past year. The survey results highlighted the need to address handgun access among youth in New York City. The survey findings can be used to inform public health interventions and policies to reduce access to handguns and reduce gun violence.
1. Where do most students who carry handguns get them from?
a. Parent or other family member’s handgun taken from home
b. Purchased from a store that sells handguns
c. Purchased “on the street”
d. Borrowed from a friend or someone they know
e. Stolen
f. Other
2. Could you get a handgun if you wanted to?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know
3. During the past 30 days‚ the last time you carried a handgun‚ from where did you get the handgun?
a. I did not carry a handgun during the past 30 days
b. Parent or other family member’s handgun taken from home
c. Purchased from a store that sells handguns
d. Purchased “on the street”
e. Borrowed from a friend or someone I know
f. Stolen
g. Other
4. Does your school use metal detectors to look for weapons carried by students?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know
5. Do you think that metal detectors should be used to find weapons carried by students at your school?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t know
6. What is the single most important reason some students carry a weapon such as a gun‚ knife‚ or club?
a. For protection against attacks by other people
b. Because their friends carry weapons
c. Because it makes them feel important
d. To “show off” and impress their friends
e. Because they want to hurt someone
f. Other
Delinquency
Gun
These are individual items and should be scored accordingly.
Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH)‚ Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and HealthPromotion. New York City Youth Violence Survey.Atlanta‚ GA: Centers for Disease Control andPrevention‚ 1993.
