“I Carry Because I’m Scared”: An Examination of Exposure to Neighborhood Violence, Feeling Unsafe, and Weapon Carrying to School

Gun violence among adolescents is a public health epidemic in the United States, thus requiring scholarly attention. As gun violence remains prevalent, research has indicated that adolescents may be more likely to carry other types of weapons, especially to school, due to easier accessibility and concealability. Evidence suggests that male adolescents are more likely to carry weapons than their female counterparts, and weapon carrying propensity among male adolescents differs among certain racial/ethnic groups. Using a series of disaggregated models consisting of Black, Latino, and White male adolescents, the current study aims to: (a) examine the direct effect between exposure to neighborhood violence and feeling unsafe, (b) to investigate the association between exposure to neighborhood violence and weapon carrying to school, and (c) to test the indirect effect of feeling unsafe on the relationship between exposure to neighborhood violence and weapon carrying. Data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed ( n = 534 Black adolescents, n = 693 Latino adolescents, and n = 1,902 White adolescents). A series of logistic regression models were estimated for each racial group, due to the binary nature of both the mediating (i.e., feeling unsafe) and outcome (i.e., weapon carrying to school) variables. The mediating effects were detected through a joint significance test of mediation. Findings suggest a positive and significant relationship between exposure to neighborhood violence and feeling unsafe, as well as between exposure to neighborhood violence and weapon carrying to school among all three racial groups. However, feeling unsafe only mediated the relationship between exposure to neighborhood violence and weapon carrying to school among Black male adolescents. In order to decrease weapon carrying to school due to feeling unsafe, relevant policy implications pertaining to mental health counseling resources and school-based safety measures are discussed.