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Abstract
Holding gun owners responsible when a child accesses a firearm is one of the reasons Child Access Prevention Laws emerged. Previous studies have focused on fatal shootings in which the victim is a child without identifying the age of the perpetrator. This study will address the effectiveness of underage shootings from another perspective. With data retrieved from the Gun Violence Archive and EveryTown for Gun Safety from 2014- 2018, I will analyze the relationship between CAP laws and unintentional shootings by a minor, no matter the age of the victim.To deepen our analysis of the effects and effectiveness of these laws, I will also examine the effects of the charges associated with them. These are defined through three different categories: whether the child may or is likely to gain access to a carelessly stored gun, accesses a carelessly stored gun, or is intentionally given a gun by the owner.
Previous studies show there is a relationship between whether the gun owner is charged with a felony or misdemeanor and the decline in unintentional firearm deaths and firearm suicides among children and adolescents. In this research, we will address the effects of penalties under the three previously mentioned categories.