Association between handgun purchase and mortality from firearm injury

Author: Grassel, K. M. / Wintemute, G. J. / Wright, M. A. / Romero, M. P.
Publication: Injury Prevention
Topics: Criminology Homicide Ownership Public Health Suicide
Keywords: California case-control data firearm death firearm retailer
Bibliographic information +

The authors examined the association between violent or firearm death and previous handgun purchase, in this case-control study of 213,466 Californians ages 21 and older who died in 1998, using data from the state’s automated Death Statistical Master File and records of all legal handgun purchases made from licensed California firearm retailers. Handgun purchase was more common among persons dying from suicide or homicide. Among women, those dying from gun suicide were much more likely than controls to have purchased a handgun. Handgun purchasers accounted for less than 1% of the study population but 2.4% of gun homicides, 14.2% of gun suicides, and 16.7% of unintentional gun deaths. Gun suicide made up 18.9% of deaths among purchasers but only 0.6% of deaths among non-purchasers.