Handguns, Long Guns, and Suicide

I n 1980, a small proportion of the death certificates of those using guns for suicide (n = 15412) were coded for the type of gun used: 13.7% used handguns, 12 8% used shotguns, 6.6% used rifles, and 66.8% were unknown. Despite this small proportion, some interesting preliminary results were identified. The percentage of suicides using handguns in each state was correlated with a measure of the strictness of the handgun control laws of the states in 1980 (Lester, 1987). The Pearson correlation was 0.37 ( p < 0.01), indicating that in states where the handgun control laws were stricter, people used long guns relatively more often for suicide. Females were more likely to use handguns than males (67.6% versus 37.1%, X , 2 = 233.35, p < .001), nonwhites more than whites (50.4% versus 40.7%, X , 2 = 12.22, p < .01), those aged 25+ more than those aged 5 yr. to 24 yr. (44.2% versus 31.5%, = 60.03, p < .001), and singles less than other marital statuses (34.2% versus 50.2%, X , Z = 55.99, p < .001). These results are based on a very small proportion of coded suicides and so are unreliable. However, in future years, if the type of gun used for suicide is noted more often on the death certificate, more reliable analyses can be conducted

Cause of death · Death certificate · Gun control · Injury prevention · Marital status · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Political science · Population · Sociology · Suicide methods · Suicide prevention · Suicide rates · Demography · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Internal Medicine · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Restraint-Related Deaths · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies