what is the problem? firearms represent 0.8% of non-lethal attempts and 51.5% of suicide deaths...
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WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
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Firearms represent 0.8% of non-lethal attempts and 51.5% of suicide deaths (84.1% lethality rate)Poisoning represents 52.6% of non-lethal attempts and 16.1% of suicide deaths (2.6% lethality rate)
ARE FIREARMS RELATED TO SUICIDE?• Suicide is more than five times more likely in homes with a gun (Simon, 2007)
• This risk is further amplified when the gun is stored unsafely (Brent, 2001)
• At least some subpopulations of veterans appear more likely than non-veterans to own guns (Lambert & Fowler, 1997)
• Replicated recently in Army National Guard sample (Khazem et al., in press)
• Some evidence that veterans frequently keep loaded firearms by their bed and that a large portion of those that do have considered suicide using that particular firearm (Freeman et al., 1994)
WHY WOULD FIREARMS BE RELATED TO SUICIDE?
• The vast majority of those who think about suicide do not attempt and the vast majority of those who attempt do not die (Nock et al., 2008)
• To move from ideation to action (and death), an individual needs a capability for suicide (Joiner, 2005; Klonsky & May, 2015; O’Conner, 2011)
• Fearlessness about death/bodily harm
• Elevated pain tolerance
• Access to and familiarity with lethal means
Ideation Action
Capability
IS THERE A SOLUTION?• Strong evidence base supporting that restricting access to and/or increasing safe storage
of highly lethal means results in large and sustained drops in overall suicide rates
Nonfirearm
• Detoxification of gas
• Installation of bridge barriers
Firearm
• Israeli military
• Australia
METHOD SUBSTITUTION?
“If somebody really wants to die, won’t they just find another way?”
• The notion of method substitution repeatedly fails to garner empirical support (Daigle, 2005; Law et al., 2014; Lester & Abe, 1998)
• Interventions that focused on restricting access to means at suicide hotspots associated with 91% reduction in suicides (Pirkis et al., 2015)
If method substitution were supported by data, you would expect means restriction/safety to only reduce suicide rates by a specific method, not the overall suicide rate
Michael D. Anestis & Joye C. Anestis
University of Southern Mississippi
SUICIDE RATES AND STATE LAWS REGULATING ACCESS AND EXPOSURE TO
HANDGUNS
Anestis, M.D., & Anestis, J.C. (2015). Suicide rates and state laws regulating access and exposure to handguns. American Journal of Public Health, 105, 2049-2058.
1. Universal background checks
2. Mandatory waiting periods
3. Gun lock requirements
4. Restriction of open carryLaw
Overall Suicide Rate
Firearm Suicide Rate
% Suicides by Firearms
Law Overall Suicide Rate
% Suicides by Firearms
Change in Law Change in Suicide Rate
Comparison with traffic laws and traffic deaths
N Overall Suicide Firearm Suicide % Firearms
Waiting Period
Yes 11 11.45 4.43 35.8%
No 40 15.72 8.98 55.8%
Background Check
Yes 17 11.42 4.53 36.8%
No 34 16.49 9.74 58.8%
Open Carry Restricted
Yes 20 12.16 5.58 42.1%
No 31 16.50 9.56 57.5%
Gun Lock Required
Yes 4 9.20 2.68 28.5%
No 47 15.28 8.45 53.4%
Each analysis controlling for poverty, education, race/ethnicity, age, & population density
Length of waiting period correlated with all three outcomes at r < -.50
Overall Suicide Rate Firearm Suicide Rate % by Firearms
R2 b pη2 R2 b pη2 R2 b pη2
Waiting Period .43 2.27 .07 .60 2.37* .12 .74 .07* .09
Background Check .51 3.52** .19 .67 3.15** .26 .77 .10** .21
Open Carry .50 3.03** .18 .64 2.38** .20 .75 .07* .13
Gun Lock .46 4.09** .11 .60 3.07** .10 .76 .14** .17
Independent Variable R2 Coefficient (SE) p 95% CI lower 95% CI upper κ2
Waiting Period .42 .29 Total -4.28 (1.21) .001
Direct -1.42 (1.25) .261
Indirect -2.86 (0.93) -5.30 -1.42
Background Check .46 .26 Total -5.07 (0.93) <.001
Direct -2.77 (1.21) .026
Indirect -2.30 (0.89) -4.28 -0.73
Open Carry .29 .25
Total -4.35 (0.96) <.001
Direct -2.42 (0.97) .016
Indirect -1.93 (0.69) -4.36 -0.47
Gun Lock .18 .25
Total -6.07 (1.88) .002 Direct -2.47 (1.77) .169Indirect -3.60 (1.01) -6.06 -1.93
State Law Change % Change in Suicide Rate (US Rate)
1 Year Post Law Law Change - 2013
California Restrict Open Carry -3.5% (2.1%) -1.0% (2.7%)
DC Extend Waiting Period -2.2% (2.1%) -1.5% (2.7%)
Oklahoma Restrict Open Carry -1.7% (0.6%) -1.7% (0.6%)
South Dakota Repeal Waiting Period 7.6% (3.3%) 8.9% (8.2%)
WHAT ABOUT TRAFFIC LAWS?• No texting while driving
• Primary enforcement of seatbelt requirement
• Hands free mobile phone use
• Same list of covariates as used in firearm law analyses
• None of the laws was associated with statewide traffic deaths
Legislation may be more effective at impacting behaviors for which there is not already a culture of safety in place
