Safer storage of firearms at home and risk of suicide: a study of protective factors in a nationally representative sample
- 1Department of Community Health, Brown Medical School, Providence, USA
- 2Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Brown Medical School and the Miriam Hospital, Providence, USA
- Correspondence to: Assistant Professor, E D Shenassa Department of Community Health and Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Brown Medical School, One Hoppin Street, Suite 500, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Edmond_ShenassaBrown.edu
- Accepted 4 February 2004
Abstract
Objective: To estimate the protective effect of storing firearms locked or unloaded, or both, on the risk of suicide by firearms among people with relatively low intention to die.
Design and setting: Cross sectional survey. The 1993 National Mortality Followback Survey of 22 957 deaths in the United States, representing 2.2 million people, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Participants: Decedent’s next of kin answered questions regarding various aspects of decedent’s life to supplement information from death certificates.
Main results: Compared with decedents who stored their firearm unlocked or loaded, those who stored their firearms locked or unloaded, or both, were less likely to commit suicide by firearms (locked: OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.24 to 0.66; unloaded OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.49).
Conclusions: This study further supports the utility of devices and practices intended to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised or impulsive use of firearms.
Footnotes
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↵* In the NMFS, suicide by airgun (E955.6) was included in a category containing E-codes E954, E955.5-E959, and therefore could not be classified with suicides by firearm.
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Funding: none.
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Conflicts of interest: none declared.
