Focusing on Places Rather Than Guns

摘要

Firearms-related injuries and deaths represent a major public health issue in the United States. Several researchers and professionals have called for additional research about strategies to mitigate morbidity and mortality associated with firearms.1 In keeping with this recommendation, Moyer et al. (p. 140) recently evaluated the effect of remediating blighted vacant lands on shooting incidents. In this experiment, clusters of blighted vacant lands in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (n = 110), were randomly allocated to one of the following interventions: (1) a greening intervention (including mowing, trash removal, grading the land, planting new grass and trees, and installing wooden fences; n = 37); (2) a less-intensive mowing and trash removal intervention (n = 36); or (3) no intervention (n = 37). Results from difference-in-difference regression models indicated that both interventions were associated with a significant decrease in shootings per month. For instance, the greening and mowing interventions were respectively associated with declines of 6.6% and 8.1% in shootings per square kilometer.