Safer storage of firearms at home and risk of suicide: a study of protective factors in a nationally representative sample

Shenassa, Edmond D
Rogers, Michelle L
Spalding, Kirsten L
Roberts, Mary B

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; [email protected]

Accepted 04 February 2004

Funding: none.

Conflicts of interest: none declared.

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 58(10):p 841-848, October 2004.

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.