Belief in Invincibility. In defense against emerging fears of inadequacy and fallibility, adolescents may react with reckless bravado, or daredevil, defiant behavior that results in unsafe gun practices. After puberty, teenagers have increasing amounts of freedom, privacy, and time unsupervised by adults, as well as a desire to challenge adult rules, which may also result in unsafe gun practices. Peer Group Influence. Pressures exerted by friends struggling with their own insecurities may prompt teenagers to possess, carry, flaunt, or use a gun in ways they might otherwise resist.
Safety often is learned from experience.
A teenager's lack of experience, and subsequent lack of judgment and self-control, often result in dangerous experimentation. Both homicidal and suicidal thoughts are related directly to impulsive, ambivalent behavior, during which access to a gun creates a potentially lethal situation for vulnerable youth. Experimentation with alcohol and drugs, which also occurs during adolescence, increases the likelihood of risk-taking behavior and long has been associated with increased risks of injury, including suicide and violence. Perceived Need for Protection. A common misperception is that teen homicides largely are related to crime, gang activity, or premeditated assault, when in fact the majority of shootings are committed by friends or relatives.