Firearm violence and the 'reopening phenomenon' in Turkey.

Injury

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Health Scienses, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Published: December 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 and its lockdowns on firearm violence in a center of Türkiye, comparing data from three distinct time periods: before the pandemic, during the lockdown, and after reopening.
  • - In total, the study analyzed 371 firearm injury cases, mostly involving pistols, with a majority of injuries occurring in the lower extremities; however, it found no significant increase in firearm violence during the reopening period compared to the others.
  • - The findings indicate that unlike in the USA, there was no notable "reopening phenomenon" in Türkiye regarding firearm violence, but it emphasizes that gun violence continues to be a serious concern globally.

Article Abstract

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many habits and social reactions. During the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown measures in the USA, there was a notable surge in firearm violence, which became known as "the reopening phenomenon". This study evaluated the impact of a similarly proposed phenomenon on individuals living in a center of Türkiye.

Method: This retrospective observational study involved the evaluation of firearm injuries in three periods of 455 days each surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic: the pre-pandemic period (January 1, 2018-April 1, 2019) the pandemic lockdown period (March 2, 2020-May 31, 2021), and the reopening period (June 4, 2021-September 2, 2022).

Results: The incidents analyzed predominantly involved the use of pistols (n = 371, 96 %). Long-barreled pistols caused injury in only 16 (4.1 %) cases. Most injuries (n = 275, 71 %) were located in the lower extremity. The comparison of the pre-pandemic, Pandemic lockdown and Reopening periods did not reveal a significant difference in the rate of firearm violence (p = 0.266, x goodness of fit) CONCLUSION: We did not observe the reopening phenomena around the COVID-19 pandemic period in a center of Türkiye. However, firearm violence remains a significant societal issue for both Türkiye and the world.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2024.111962DOI Listing

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