Objective:
In this project, we examined a large representative sample (n=6,404) drawn from three states: New Jersey, Minnesota, and Mississippi. Consistent with our prior work, we found that individuals who purchased firearms during a firearm purchasing surge (March 2020-June 2020) were more likely than non-firearm owners and other firearm owners to have experienced lifetime, past year, and past month suicidal thoughts. This was particularly true for individuals who became firearm owners for the first time during the purchasing surge.
Method:
Cross-sectional online survey data were collected from January to June 2021. Participants were recruited via quota sampling through Qualtrics Panels. Within Minnesota, zip codes from Minneapolis and St Paul were oversampled. Participants included 6404 US adults recruited from 3 states: New Jersey (n = 3197), Minnesota (n = 1789), and Mississippi (n = 1418). Participants identified as becoming a first-time firearm owner during the surge period, being an established firearm owner who purchased a firearm during the surge period, being a firearm owner who did not buy firearms during the surge period, and not owning firearms.
Project Status:
Completed
Principal Investigator (PI):
Michael D. Anestis, PhD, Shelby L. Bandel, MS, Allison E. Bond, MA