Objective:
Firearms account for the majority of American suicide deaths, but little is known about why some firearm owners who die by suicide use their firearms and others do not. In a sample of 121 firearm owners who died by suicide – with answers provided by surviving friends and family – we found that handgun ownership but not shotgun ownership was associated with likelihood of having used a firearm in their suicide death. Importantly, well over 80% of all individuals in the a died using a firearm, so shotgun ownership was no protective; rather, handgun ownership was just particularly dangerous.
Method:
Data were collected as part of a larger online study that gathered information on suicide decedents and the context surrounding their death from family members and friends. The present study used data from those who owned at least one firearm (n = 121). Participants in the present study were mostly male and white.
Project Status:
Completed
Principal Investigator (PI):
Michael D. Anestis, PhD, Allison E. Bond, MS