Despite stronger fears of being a victim of gun violence, California immigrants far less likely to own firearms than citizens

This study shows that the immigrant population’s concern about gun violence is significant,” saidNinez Ponce, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and principal investigator for the California Health Interview Survey, or CHIS.Firearm ownershipPrior research showed 17.6% of all California adults own a firearm. However the number is just 6.0% among immigrants, according to 2021 CHIS data in the new study. The authors included naturalized adult citizens in the “citizens” category, as firearm access among naturalized citizens more closely mimics that of citizens than immigrants.The study, which builds on the earlier research, examines firearm ownership, fears of being a victim of gun violence  and firearm storage practices among adults in the two largest immigrant populations in California — Latino and Asian — and compares these with Latino and Asian citizens’ practices.“The United States has the highest gun ownership rate per capita in the world, yet we know very little about ownership rates across different populations of interests, including immigrants,” said Clarissa Iliff, a doctoral student at UC Irvine and co-author of the study. “We need to analyze ho w citizenship, fear of victimization and firearm ownership among immigrant populations change over time.”Study findings show Asian immigrants are more likely than Latino immigrants to own at least one firearm. The rate of gun ownership among Latino citizens was more than four times that of...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news