Perceptions of the utility of secure firearm storage methods as a suicide prevention tool among firearm owners who currently store their firearms loaded and unlocked
Objective:
Firearms account for more than half of all suicides in the US annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Research has demonstrated that not only does the presence of a firearm in the home increase the risk for suicide death for all household members (Anestis & Houstma, 2018; Simon, 2007), but also that unsecure (e.g. loaded & unlocked) firearm storage further increases that risk (Shanessa, Rogers, Spalding, & Roberts, 2004). Prior research showed that those who currently store firearms unsecured are less willing than other firearm owners to adopt secure firearm storage methods. This resistance is partially explained by beliefs that individuals thwarted in accessing a specific method for suicide will find another method to die (Anestis, Butterworth, & Houtsma, 2018) and a general pattern for firearm owners to see value in secure storage more clearly when children are in the home (e.g. Aitken et al., 2020; Baxley & Miller, 2006; Ye, Thatipamala, & Siegel, 2022). Recent research examining methods for promoting secure firearm storage has highlighted that lethal means counseling can prompt meaningful and sustained changes in firearm storage behavior (Anestis, Bryan, Capron, & Bryan, 2021).
Method:
We recruited a large (n = 3510) representative sample of residents from five US states and assessed the degree to which those who do and do not store their firearms securely perceive different utility in specific firearm storage practices for suicide prevention. To test for specificity, we examined if those differences hold when considering unintentional shooting and firearm theft prevention.
Project Status:
Completed
Principal Investigator (PI):
Michael D. Anestis, PhD
Co-Investigators:
Daniel Semenza PhD, Michael Anestis, PhD, Allison E. Bond MA, Jayna Moceri-Brooks PhD, Shelby L. Bandel MS