Influence Of Automatic Firearms On The Presence Of Multiple Victims Of Violence: A Research Note

This study investigates the impact of automatic firearm usage on the presence of multiple victims within a violent encounter. In addition, key situational and contextual variables from the criminal events perspective are controlled. Data were collected from the National Incident-Based Reporting System of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine if automatic firearms, compared to semiautomatic firearms, increased the chance of multiple victims appearing within incidents of serious violence. Results indicate that automatic weapons increase the likelihood of multiple victimization, although various situational and contextual factors such as incident circumstance and victim-offender relationship increase these odds as well. © 2009 Sage Publications