Presented by Anthony Fabio, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
Epidemiology Data Center, University of Pittsburgh

Of the estimated 990 million firearms in the world today, military and law enforcement agencies possess only 15% (156 million). The remaining 85% (857 million) are held by civilians. Global firearm civilian ownership is heavily amassed in the United States. In 2017, Americans made up 4% of the world’s population, but owned 46% (393 million) of the entire global stock. However, little is known about how these 393 million guns (plus the estimated 12 million acquired in each coming year) move and intersect through our society, from origin of the sale to crimes on city streets. Few studies have assessed detailed information about acquisition or type of firearms recovered by police, or the motivation for the police recovering the firearm. We collaborated with the Pittsburgh Police Department to trace the origins of firearms that police recovered at a crime scene. We will discuss the results of this study and then present crucial steps needed to conduct research that will allow us to begin to understand how to prevent injuries due to these firearms.

All faculty, staff, and students welcome!