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(Iowa) -- A new study from the University of Iowa asked rural youth about their experiences with gun violence and their attitudes about gun safety measures.
The study surveyed nearly 3,300 attendees ages 13-18 at the national Future Farmers of America convention in Indianapolis, and found that 35% of those surveyed say they have experienced a school lockdown, 46% say they know someone who was hurt or killed by a firearm, 10% say they have personally seen someone threatened by a firearm.
The study finds the 35% of rural youth who say they've experienced a school lockdown are 1.5 times more likely to favor creating a national gun database.
Rural youth who have experienced a school lockdown are also 1.3 times more likely to support additional firearms safety measures including:
- Background checks for firearms purchases or gifts
- Gun safety courses prior to purchasing a firearm for the first time
- Laws requiring safe storage of firearms
- Healthcare providers asking about safe firearm storage in homes
- Parents checking with the families of their children's friends that firearms in the home are being stored safely
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.