Firearm Storage Practices Among Latino and Asian Immigrants in California
Summary: Latino and Asian immigrants represent the two largest immigrant populations in California, yet little is known about firearm ownership and storage practices among individuals in these groups. This policy brief explores firearm ownership and storage practices among Latino and Asian adults in California. Using the 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), this brief reports findings by self-reported citizenship status among adult respondents ages 18 years and older.
Findings: Overall, 6.0% of immigrants reported owning a firearm, with 4.1% of Latino immigrants and 7.2% of Asian immigrants owning at least one firearm. Among Latino citizens,18.1% owned at least one firearm or handgun, compared with 12.6% of Asian citizens. Immigrants were more likely than citizens to store guns locked and unloaded (76.5% vs. 45.0%, respectively). Among Latino immigrants, fear of gun violence victimization was positively associated with the number of firearms kept in the home. The pattern was reversed for Latino citizens, with those least concerned about gun victimization owning more firearms. The number of firearms owned by Asian immigrants showed no clear pattern with respect to fear of gun victimization.
This publication is supported by the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research (NCGVR).
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