Limitations
This study had limitations. First, all analyses were based on self-report data which are subject to social desirability and recall biases. Of note, communities, not students, were randomized into intervention groups in this trial. It is unlikely that students in the study were aware of the intervention group to which their community belonged; thus, it is unlikely that there was differential self-report by intervention group that might account for observed effects. Second, the survey did not ask from whom (eg, family or friend) youths obtained the handgun, how they obtained it (eg, purchasing or renting), or why they carried it (eg, self-defense or retaliation). Third, communities studied were towns of 50 000 or fewer residents and were not necessarily representative of the entire country, specific regions, certain states, or rural communities not represented in the trial.