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Cited by 94Gun Ownership and Violence ResearchSuicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse

Firearms and suicide in US cities

Miller, Matthew, Warren, Molly, Hemenway, David, Azrael, Deborah·2015·Injury Prevention
DOI 10.1136/injuryprev-2013-040969
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Abstract

On an average day in the USA more than 100 Americans die by suicide—half use firearms. Suicide rates overall and by firearms are higher, on average, in states where household firearm ownership is more common. In general this means in states where a greater proportion of the population lives in rural areas. The current ecological study focuses on the relation between measures of household firearm prevalence and suicide mortality in urban areas (metropolitan statistical areas and divisions) using survey-based measures of firearm ownership. Suicide rates (1999–2010) for metropolitan statistical areas that are comprised of large US cities come from death certificate records; rates of household firearm ownership come from the 2002 and 2004 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System. Higher rates of firearm ownership are strongly associated with higher rates of overall suicide and firearm suicide, but not with non-firearm suicide. Stratification by gender, age and race did not materially affect the association between firearms and suicide. This study provides evidence consistent with previous case–control work and extends evidence from previous state- and region-level ecological studies that firearms in the home impose suicide risk above and beyond baseline.

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  • Analyses of individual-level, area-level, and state-level data show associations between firearm ownership and suicide, and gun restrictions are associated with lower overall suicide rates and lower firearm suicide rates.

    “Analyses of individual-level data,15 area-level data in large cities,57 and state-level data58 have shown associations between firearm ownership and suicide, and gun restrictions have been associated with lower overall suicide rates as well as lower rates of suicide with firearms.8”

    From Suicide (2020) · cites this paper as [57]

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Authors
Miller, M., Warren, M., Hemenway, D., & Azrael, D.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Miller, Matthew
ORCID
Venue
Injury Prevention
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2013-12-03
Volume
21
Issue
e1
Pages
e116-e119
ISSN
  • 1353-8047 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-5785
DOI
10.1136/injuryprev-2013-040969
OpenAlex
W2152975377
Cited by
94
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2
FWCI
5.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Injury Prevention (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Gun Ownership and Violence Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
Keywords
gun ownership, suicide, firearm suicide, household firearms, urban environment, metropolitan statistical areas, suicide mortality, urban-rural differences, gender differences, age differences, racial differences, American cities
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Female, Firearms, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Ownership, Regression Analysis, Risk Factors, Suicide, United States, Urban Population, Prevalence, Young Adult

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