Guns in the home
Contrary to what many people believe, having a gun in your home doesn’t make you safer but instead endangers you and your loved ones. |
Gun Availability is a Risk Factor for Homicide: 3 X INCREASED RISK
A gun in the home increases the risk of homicide by 300 percent. Results from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that guns actually pose a substantial threat to members of the household, and that most of this risk is due to a substantially greater risk of homicide at the hands of a family member or intimate acquaintance[1]. Gun Availability is a Risk Factor for Suicide: 5 X INCREASED RISK A gun in the home increases the risk of suicide by 500 percent. Guns are the most common method of suicide in the United States. Gun owners and their families are far more likely to commit suicide than non-gun owners. Studies have shown that a gun raises the suicide risk for everyone in the home: gun owner, spouse and children. When it comes to suicide, the method by which one attempts suicide is an important factor for whether a person lives or dies. Because of the lethality of firearms, 90% of firearm suicide attempts result in death[2]. Where guns are more easily accessible–where gun ownership is high–suicide rates are higher. Studies show that states with higher rates of gun ownership have higher rates of firearm suicide. In fact, the main factor in explaining differences in suicide rates across states is gun ownership[3]. Sadly, often suicide attempts are the result of impulsivity during a short-term crisis. Studies have shown that many people who attempt suicide deliberate minutes before taking action[4].. Sources [1] Kellermann, Authur L., Frederick P. Rivara, Norman B.Rushforth, Joyce G. Banton, Donald T. Reay, Jerry T. Francisco, Ana B. Locci, Janice Prodzinski, Bela B. Hackman, and Grant Somes. 1993. “Gun Ownership as a Risk Factor for Homicide in the Home.” New England Journal of Medicine 329:1084-1119, p. 1084. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199310073291506#t=articleTop [2] “Guns, Public Health, and Mental Illness: An Evidence-Based Approach for Federal Policy”, Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy. December 11, 2013 http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/publications/GPHMI-Federal.pdf [3] Harvard Injury Control Research Center. “Suicide.” Accessed July 29, 2016. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-ownership-and-use/ [4] Harvard Injury Control Research Center. “Impulsivity and Crises.” Accessed July 29, 2016. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/impulsivity/ [5] Harvard Injury Control Research Center. “Accidents.” Accessed July 29, 2016. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-threats-and-self-defense-gun-use/ [6] Pew Research Center. “Suicides account for most gun deaths.” Accessed July 29, 2016. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/24/suicides-account-for-most-gun-deaths/ |
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