“What does it depend on?”: Perceptions of safety related to firearms in homes and neighborhoods

Background Though research has established that firearms in the home increase risk for injury and death, a substantial number of Americans, especially gun owners, believe that guns make their homes safer. More than half of gun owners in a nationally-representative survey said “it depends” when asked whether guns make their homes safer or more dangerous, but little is known about the factors that affect perceived safety. Objective To determine whether the relationship between the presence of firearms and perceived home or neighborhood safety is fixed or depends on additional factors and to identify the additional factors on which it depends. Methods A mixed-methods cross-sectional analysis of the 2018 state-representative California Safety and Wellbeing Survey (n = 2558, completion rate 49%), including calculation of weighted proportions and qualitative analysis of write-in responses. Findings One in six respondents (17.2%, 95% CI 14.9% to 19.7%) reported “it depends” when asked whether a gun in their home made the home a safer or more dangerous place to be (“the home scenario”). One in six (16.6%, 95% CI 14.3% to 19.2%) reported “it depends” when asked whether the neighborhood would be safer if all neighbors had guns in the home (“the neighborhood scenario”). For the home scenario, 28.3% (95% CI 21.9% to 35.7%) cited firearm owner characteristics (e.g., training and proficiency, temperament, and mental health), 28.4% (95% CI 22.3% to 35.5%) cited firearm storage and access, and 28.0% (95% CI 21.5% to 35.7%) cited intended use for guns as factors affecting perceived safety. For the neighborhood scenario, respondents overwhelmingly cited gun owner characteristics (72.1%, 95% CI 63.4% to 79.3%). Factors on which “it depends” varied by gun ownership status. Conclusion Perceived safety when firearms are in the home depends on numerous factors. Understanding these factors may inform tailored, targeted messaging and interventions for firearm injury prevention.

Private Forest Owner Characteristics Affect European Spruce Bark Beetle Management under an Extreme Weather Event and Host Tree Density

In the last few decades, an increasing number and intensity of bark beetle outbreaks have plagued the forests of Europe and North America. Bark beetle management is directly related to forest owner characteristics, although this relationship is not well understood. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of forest owner characteristics on the amount and timing of sanitary felling under different disturbance regimes and quantities of Norway spruce. We combined different databases on sanitary felling, the timing of sanitary felling, and forest owner characteristics for Slovenia from 2014 to 2018 and analyzed the amount and timing of sanitary felling in relation to forest owner characteristics. We found that the timing in winter and the amount of sanitary felling were positively associated with the distance of the owner’s residence to the forest parcel. Larger parcels were more affected by bark beetles but did not have later timing of cutting in the summer period as was hypothesized. The timing of sanitary felling decreased with property size, while with the probability of sanitary felling, the effect of property depended on the ice storm and the amount of spruce. The size of the settlement, the permanent address of the private owner, and timing of sanitary felling were positively associated but also depended on the amount of spruce. Gender and age did not have an important influence on the amount and timing of sanitary felling. Forest owners are an important factor in effective bark beetle management. This study highlights the private forest ownership characteristics that should be emphasized in order to fight bark beetle outbreaks in the event of large-scale disturbances. Governments should support forest owners who are at greater risk of bark beetle outbreaks and less efficient in managing outbreaks. Furthermore, landowner characteristics should be included when forecasting bark beetle outbreaks.

Dog and owner characteristics predict training success

Teaching owners how to train their dogs is an important part of maintaining the health and safety of dogs and people. Yet we do not know what behavioral characteristics of dogs and their owners are relevant to dog training or if owner cognitive abilities play a role in training success. The aim of this study is to determine which characteristics of both dogs and owners predict success in completing the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen training program. Before the first session of a dog training course, owners completed surveys evaluating the behavior and cognition of their dog and themselves. Additionally, we collected the dogs' initial training levels via behavioral tasks. We then examined what factors predicted whether the dogs passed the Canine Good Citizen test after the class ended. In terms of dog characteristics, we found that, while dog age, sex and neuter status did not predict success, owner-rated levels of disobedience did predict completion of the program. In terms of owner characteristics, owners who scored higher on cognitive measures were more likely to have their dogs complete the program. Finally, dog-owner characteristics such as the time spent training predicted success. Thus, characteristics of the dogs, owners, and how they interact seem to predict training success. These findings suggest that there are some owner, dog, and dog-owner characteristics that can facilitate or hinder dog training.

The Impact of Pet Health Insurance on Dog Owners’ Spending for Veterinary Services

The U.S. pet population is increasing, but access to veterinary care continues to be a concern. One method of alleviating barriers that prevent access to care is the presence of pet health insurance for a pet. Dog owners were surveyed to see the impact of pet health insurance on dog owners’ visits and expenditures at the veterinarian. Using several models, it was found that pet health insurance had a significant and positive impact on the amount spent at the veterinarian. Other dog and dog owner characteristics were found significant in impacting expenditures and visits at the veterinarian. Findings from this study can help address the accessibility issue facing Americans across the country in obtaining affordable pet care. This research is the first which seeks to identify the driving factors behind dog owners’ choices regarding health care for their dogs.

STRATEGI MENCIPTAKAN KEBERLANJUTAN UMKM GITAR, DI NGROMBO, BAKI, SUKOHARJO

This study aims to analyze in detail the characteristics of the owner, the characteristics of the UMKM towards the transformation and success of the UMKM Guitar business in Ngrombo, Baki, Sukoharjo. Examine the transformation of the sustainability of the guitar business in the village of Ngrombo, Baki, Sukoharjo. The study discusses the success of the UMKM Guitar by looking at the supporting factors of the characteristics of the owner and the characteristics of the business with the supporting factors by doing transformations.The method in this research uses descriptive quantitative design. While the entire population of guitar SMEs in the Ngrombo, Baki, Sukoharjo. Samples used by guitar SMEs that have been operating for more than 5 years, amounting to 39 entrepreneurs who subsequently as research respondents. Data collection techniques by distributing questionnaires to 39 guitar entrepreneurs in accordance with the description of the respondent. The results of the questionnaire were then processed with PLSThe results showed the Characteristics of Owners influence positively and significantly on the Transformations carried out by business actors. The transformation in question is the willingness to change and advance the success of its business and ultimately its sustainability. The characteristics of SMEs do not significantly influence this transformation because they are based on experience in running their businesses. This research resulted in Business Transformation, Owner Characteristics and Characteristics of SMEs influencing business sustainability.

Firearms training and storage practices among US gun owners: a nationally representative study

ObjectivesTo describe firearm storage practices among US adults and examine the relationship between having received formal firearms training and firearm storage.MethodsIn 2015 we asked a nationally representative online sample of 2072 gun owners how they stored household firearms, their reasons for owning guns, the number and types owned, had they carried a loaded handgun in the prior month and whether they had formal firearms training (and if so, whether training covered suicide prevention, accident prevention, firearm theft prevention, safe handling and safe storage). Unadjusted associations between gun owner characteristics and storage practices were estimated using Pearson’s χ2 tests; adjusted associations used multivariate logistic regressions. Final survey weights that combined presample and study-specific poststratification weights account for oversampling of firearm owners and survey non-response.Results29.7% (95% CI 27.4% to 32.1%) stored ≥1 firearm loaded and unlocked. Of the 61.4% (95% CI 58.9% to 63.9%) of gun owners with firearms training, 32.3% (95% CI 29.4% to 35.3%) stored ≥1 firearm loaded and unlocked, compared with 25.8% (95% CI 22.3% to 29.7%) of those without training. Storage did not differ by training component, age, sex or race. However, firearms were more likely stored loaded and unlocked when respondents owned for protection, owned >1 firearm, owned handguns or carried a loaded gun. After adjusting for firearm-related characteristics, firearms training was not associated with storing firearms loaded and unlocked (adjusted OR=1.11, 95% Cl 0.80 to 1.53).ConclusionFirearms training, as currently provided, is unlikely to reduce unsafe firearm storage.