Homicide and suicide risks associated with firearms in the home: a national case-control study

Author: Wiebe, D. J.
Publication: Ann Emerg Med
Topics: Ethnicity Gender Homicide Suicide U.S./National
Keywords: Method case-control gun homicide at home suicide at home
Bibliographic information +

The author examined the effect of having a gun in the home on the likelihood for adults to be killed or to commit suicide, using data from the 1993 National Mortality Followback Survey and the 1994 National Health Interview Survey in two case-control analyses. The homicide sample consisted of 1,720 case subjects and 8,084 control subjects. Adults with a gun at home were more likely to be killed than those in homes without guns. The effect was stronger for women and nonwhite subjects. Having a gun in the home was a risk factor for homicide by a firearm means but not by another method. The suicide sample consisted of 1,959 case subjects and 13,535 control subjects; adults with a gun at home were more than three times as likely to commit suicide as those without guns. Having a gun at home was a risk factor for suicide by firearm, but reduced the incidence of suicide by other methods.