Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug;53(4):655-665.
doi: 10.1111/sltb.12971. Epub 2023 Jul 7.

When safe firearm storage isn't enough: Examining risk profiles among firearm suicide decedents

Claire Houtsma  1   2   3 , Amanda M Raines  1   2   3
Affiliations

When safe firearm storage isn't enough: Examining risk profiles among firearm suicide decedents

Claire Houtsma et al. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and firearms are the most frequently used suicide method. Research suggests risk for firearm suicide increases with greater access to firearms (e.g., storing loaded or unlocked). Although safe firearm storage is promoted as a means of risk reduction, no studies have explored factors differentiating firearm suicide decedents who stored firearms safely vs. those who stored unsafely prior to death.

Methods: Utilizing data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, the current study aimed to determine which factors distinguish firearm suicide decedents who stored firearms safely vs. those who stored unsafely. The current sample included decedents for whom data were available on whether the firearm used in the suicide was stored loaded or unloaded (n = 4269) and unlocked or locked (n = 6273) prior to their death.

Results: Results revealed using a long gun in the suicide (as opposed to a handgun) was associated with five times greater odds of storing unloaded prior to death, suggesting this safe firearm storage practice alone does not mitigate risk among all long gun owners.

Conclusion: These findings indicate a need to increase suicide prevention efforts within the long gun owning community.

Keywords: firearms; loaded; locked; suicide prevention; unloaded; unlocked.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

This research uses data from National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), a surveillance system designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The findings are based, in part, on the contributions of the funded states and territories that collected violent death data and the contributions of the states’ partners, including personnel from law enforcement, vital records, medical examiners/coroners, and crime laboratories. The analyses, results, and conclusions presented here represent those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of CDC. Additionally, the contents of this article do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Anestis MD, Bandel SL, Butterworth SE, Bond AE, Daruwala SE, & Bryan CJ (2020). Suicide risk and firearm ownership and storage behavior in a large military sample. Psychiatry Research, 291, 1–5. 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113277 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Anestis MD, Bryan CJ, Capron DW, & Bryan AO (2021). Lethal means counseling, distribution of cable locks, and safe firearm storage practices among the Mississippi National Guard: A factorial randomized controlled trial, 2018–2020. American Journal of Public Health, 111(2), 309–317. 10.2105/ajph.2020.306019 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anestis MD, Daruwala S, & Capron DW (2019). Firearm ownership, means safety, and suicidality. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 49(4), 1044–1057. 10.1111/sltb.12509 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Anestis MD, Khazem LR, & Anestis JC (2017). Differentiating suicide decedents who died using firearms from those who died using other methods. Psychiatry Research, 252, 23–28. - PubMed
    1. Barber CW, & Miller MJ (2014). Reducing a suicidal person’s access to lethal means of suicide: A research agenda. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(3), S264–S272. 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.028 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types