easiest way to kill yourself without a gun

One study focused on the perpetration of homicide as opposed to victimization and found a relatively weak association (adjusted odds ratio = 1.4) between gun ownership and homicide perpetration ( 23).

We know of only two national case-control studies that have examined the relation between access to a firearm and a violent death ( 23, 24). Most of the studies have also been limited to a few counties, geographic areas, or states. Many of the studies conducted to date have been based on small samples and were limited to specific population groups such as adolescents or older adults ( 15– 19). However, studies conducted in other countries have failed to find a clear link between access to a firearm and risk of a suicide ( 22). In both studies, the effects persisted for more than 5 years. ( 21) reported similar findings for suicide in a population-based cohort study of persons who had purchased a handgun in California. ( 20) found that a history of family handgun purchase was associated with an elevated risk of both homicide and suicide. In a case-control study of members of a large health maintenance organization, Cummings et al. Some studies have specifically examined the association between purchase of a handgun and risk of a violent death ( 20, 21). Other case-control studies have also found an increased risk of suicide for those with firearms in the home, with relative risks ranging from 2.1 to 4.4 ( 15– 19). After they controlled for a number of potentially confounding factors, the presence of a gun in the home was associated with a nearly fivefold risk of suicide (adjusted odds ratio = 4.8) ( 13) and an almost threefold risk of homicide (adjusted odds ratio = 2.7) ( 14). ( 13, 14) examined the relation between gun ownership and injury outcomes. To address these limitations, previous researchers have used case-control study methodology to evaluate the relation between gun ownership and risk of a violent death in the home. Although these studies are useful in demonstrating an association between access to firearms and rates of homicide and suicide at the aggregate level, it is not possible with this methodology to adequately assess whether access to a gun increases the risk of a violent death at the individual level.

Ecologic analyses have suggested a link between the prevalence of gun ownership and rates of homicide and suicide ( 6– 8) and between regulations restricting access to firearms and rates of homicide and suicide ( 9– 12). Approximately 60 percent of all homicides and suicides in the United States are committed with a firearm ( 2).Īlthough an estimated 40 percent of adults in the United States report keeping a gun in the home for recreational or protective purposes ( 3), the risks and benefits of this practice are widely disputed in the literature ( 4, 5). In 2001, homicide was the second leading cause of death and suicide the third for persons 15–24 years of age ( 2).

Over 50,000 homicides and suicides occur each year in the United States ( 1), making them among the leading causes of death, particularly for young people. Received for publication Februaccepted for publication June 7, 2004. Results show that regardless of storage practice, type of gun, or number of firearms in the home, having a gun in the home was associated with an increased risk of firearm homicide and firearm suicide in the home.įirearms homicide suicide violence wounds and injuries Persons with guns in the home were also more likely to have died from suicide committed with a firearm than from one committed by using a different method (adjusted odds ratio = 31.1, 95% confidence interval: 19.5, 49.6). The risk of dying from a suicide in the home was greater for males in homes with guns than for males without guns in the home (adjusted odds ratio = 10.4, 95% confidence interval: 5.8, 18.9). They were also at greater risk of dying from a firearm homicide, but risk varied by age and whether the person was living with others at the time of death. Those persons with guns in the home were at greater risk than those without guns in the home of dying from a homicide in the home (adjusted odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 3.4). Data from a US mortality follow-back survey were analyzed to determine whether having a firearm in the home increases the risk of a violent death in the home and whether risk varies by storage practice, type of gun, or number of guns in the home.

Easiest way to kill yourself without a gun