Firearms Suicide

1. Mortality Among Recent Purchasers of Handguns, Garen J. Wintemute, MD; Carrie A. Parham, MSc, et al, New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 341, No. 21, November 18,1999, pp. 1583-1589.

   This recent study tracked 238,292 gun owners from 1991, when they bought their firearms, until 1996. It determines that, when compared to the general population, these new gun buyers were far more likely to commit suicide.

   Key Facts:

   • The firearm suicide rate for handgun buyers was 57 times higher during the first week after purchase than the adjusted firearm suicide rate for the general population.
   • Handgun purchasers remained at an increased risk for firearm suicide over the six-year study period.
   • Women who purchased handguns remained at high risk for both firearm suicide and firearm homicide during the course of the study.

   
   

2. Suicide Among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults�United States, 1980-1992, MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 44, No. 15, April 21, 1995, pp. 289-291.

   This study examines the sharp increase in the rate of suicide among youths in the United States between the years 1980 and 1992, and the key role played by firearms in this increase.

   Key Facts:

   • From 1980 to 1992 the rate of suicide among youths aged 10 years to 14 years old increased by 120% (from 0.8 to 1.7 per 100,000).
   • From 1980 to 1992 the rate of suicide among youths aged 15 years to 19 years old increased by 28.3% (from 8.5 to 10.9 per 100,000).
   • In the 15-years to 19-years-old group, firearm-related suicides accounted for 81% of the overall increase from the years 1980 to 1992.

   
   

3. Suicide Among Black Youths�United States, 1980-1995, MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 47, No. 10, March 20, 1998, pp. 193-196.

   This report summarizes trends in suicide among African-Americans aged 10 years to 19 years old in the United States during the period from 1980 to 1995. During this interval, suicidal behavior among all youths increased, but black youths registered the highest rate of increase at 114%. Although black youths have historically had lower suicide rates than white youths, the gap between rates for black and white youths has narrowed.

   Key Facts:

   • From 1980 to 1995, the suicide rate for black youths, aged 10 years to 19 years old, increased from 2.1 per 100,000 to 4.5 per 100,000.
   • Firearms were the predominant method of suicide for black youths, accounting for 66% of suicides in this group.
   • The use of firearms accounted for 96% of the increase in the suicide rate for blacks aged 10 years to 19 years old.

   
   

4. Suicide in the Home in Relation to Gun Ownership, Arthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH; Frederick P. Rivara, MD, MPH; et al, The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 327, No. 7, August 13, 1992, pp. 467-472.

   This study examines the association between the availability of firearms in the home and suicides in the home in two U.S. counties between 1987 and 1990.

   Key Fact:

   • The presence of one or more guns in the home increases the risk of suicide in the home nearly five times.

   
   

5. Suicide in the United States, 1980-1992, Violence Surveillance Summary Series, No. 1, S. Patrick Kachur, MD, MPH; Lloyd B. Potter, PhD, MPH; et al., National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995.

   This publication summarizes U.S. trends in suicide rates between the years 1980 and 1992 by age, race, sex, level of education, marital status, and geographic distribution. Trends in methods of suicide�including firearms�are described. Tables give number and rate of suicide among various groups by year, including rates of suicide ranked by state.

   This publication is free. Contact the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) at: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, MS-K60, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724. It may also be ordered on the Internet at www.cdc.gov/ncipc/ncipchm.htm.

   Key Facts:

   • Between the years 1980 and 1992, suicide rates increased among persons between the ages of 10 years and 19 years old, among young African-American males, and among elderly males of all races.
   • Firearms accounted for 77% of the increase in suicide from 1980 to 1992 and were disproportionately responsible for increases among both the young and the elderly.

   
   

6. The Presence and Accessibility of Firearms in the Homes of Adolescent Suicides: A Case-Control Study, David A. Brent, MD; Joshua A. Perper, MD, LLB, MSc; et al, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), Vol. 266, No. 21, December 4, 1991, pp. 2989-2995.

   This study examines suicides and suicide attempts among adolescents in western Pennsylvania between 1986 and 1988 and seeks to determine whether the presence of a firearm in the home magnifies the risk for adolescent suicide.

   Key Fact:

   • Guns were twice as likely to be found in the homes of adolescent suicide victims as would be found in the homes of those who attempted suicide and failed.

   
   

7. Suicide Among Older Persons�United States, 1980-1992, MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 45, No. 1, January 12, 1996, pp. 3-6.

   This study reports suicide trends between 1980 and 1992 among older Americans, a group that in 1992 represented 13% of the population, yet accounted for almost 20% of the total suicides in the United States.

   Key Facts:

   • Between 1980 and 1992, firearm suicides increased from 60% to 69% of all suicides in persons aged 65 years and older.
   • In this period, among men 65 years and older, the percentage of firearm suicides increased from 69% to 77%; among women 65 years and older, the percentage increased from 24% to 35%.

   
   

8. The Growing Use of Firearms by Suicidal Older Women, 1979-1992: A Research Note, Margaret E. Adamek, PhD and Mark S. Kaplan, DrPH, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, Vol. 26, No. 1, Spring 1996, pp. 71-78.

   This study examines data on deaths from the National Center for Health Statistics for the years ranging from 1979 to 1992. The study concludes that the availability, familiarity, and cultural acceptability of firearms play a role in the choice of suicide method among older women.

   Key Facts:

   • Between the years 1979 and 1992, firearms replaced poisoning as the most common method of suicide by women 65 years and older.
   • In 1992 firearms accounted for 38% of all suicides among women 65 years and older compared to 28% in 1979.