Ericka Gavidia
Professor Hunter
English 21003
November 7, 2021
What is the effect of household gun ownership on the suicidal rate of
children and adolescents in America ?
Introduction:
Over the course of years we have seen many horrible incidents involving the use of guns. Gun violence has impacted our youth tremendously. Each year, more than 20,000 adolescents and children under the age of 20 are injured by firearms. And about 5,500 American children from the ages 0 to 17 were killed or injured by guns, in the year 2020 alone (Moran, M., & Muir, M. S. P. (2021). In fact, Firearms have been the most common method of suicide for youth groups from the ages 10 to 24. Thousands of our youth use guns to attempt suicide than any other suicides. Among the youth, the rate of suicide from firearms has increased by 61% from 2007 to 2016 (Szlyk, H. S., Azasu, E., & Joe, S. (2019). In most recent debates, gun policies have not focused on the safety of our children, but rather, they focus on the meaning of the second amendment. People don’t realize the huge risk it is to own a gun in a household. Although, there are background checks on people who purchase guns it isnt enough considering the high rates of suicide in the United States. For many Americans it is more important to have the right to own guns than to protect our children from gaining access to guns. If an adolescent is dealing with any mental illness there is a huge risk of owning a gun at home especially when that child is alone for so many hours of the day.Gun violence poses a serious threat to America’s children and youth. A study conducted by D. Hemenway and M. Miller gathered a group of people from different regions of America to test if the association of gun ownership and suicide can be explained by differences in levels of mental health. In the article, Association of rates of household handgun ownership, lifetime major depression, and serious suicidal thoughts with rates of suicide across US census regions, it was concluded that there was a positive correlation between household handgun ownership rate and suiciadal rates. In an experiment conducted by Knopov, A., Sherman, R., gathered secondary analysis of state-level data in order to answer his thesis. In the article, Household Gun Ownership and Youth Suicide Rates at the State Level, it was concluded that the more people own guns and keep them at home, the higher the suicidal rate in the United States. David C. Grossman, MD, MPH and Beth A. Mueller, DrPH, conducted an experiment to measure the association of specific household firearm storage practices and the risk of unintentional and self-inflicted firearm injuries. In the article, Gun Storage Practices and Risk of Youth Suicide and Unintentional Firearm Injuries, it was conculded that guns that were unattened and improperly stored lead to a higher rate of unintenitonaly harm and suicide. Lastly, Namkee G.ChoiDiana M.DiNitto created a study to answer three questions; Has firearm use decreased/increased relative to other means among youth suicide victims over time? Two, do youth who die from firearm suicides differ from those who used other means on sociodemographic characteristics, precipitating factors, or other risk factors? And three: what types of guns did youth use, who owned the guns, and how did youth access the guns? Using these articles, will help me answer the question of, What is the effect of household gun ownership on the suicidal rate of children and adolescents in America? I will demonstrate how there is a clear correlation between owning a gun at home and suicide in children.
Methods:
A study conducted by D. Hemenway and M. Miller examined three dependent variables: the total suicide rate, the firearm suicide rate, and the non-firearm suicide rate. As well as three independent variables: rates of household handgun ownership, lifetime prevalence of major depression, and lifetime prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts. Authors D. Hemenway and M. Miller added a fourth explanatory variable which were, the percent of the population living in metropolitan areas or, the percent with at least some college or, the percent unemployed or, the percent of alcohol consumption. The experiment was conducted in 9 regions of the United states and collected data from 40 people of each region. For sucide rates they used average regional rates for a 10 year period. D. Hemenway and M. Miller collected data for the number of suicides, firearm suicide, and non-firearm suicide. The data of households with handguns was retrieved from the General Social Survey (GSS), and the data on mental health was retrieved from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS). The NCS, “provides information concerning the prevalence of a multitude of psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders’ , as well as anxiety disorders and substance use disorder. The population of a region and the mortality rate of the region was collected from the state base data. The way this experiment was conducted was by giving the respondents questioners. One of the questions consisted of “ have you ever seriously thought about committing suicide?”. It was found that in region three the suicide rate avregaed over the 10 year period was 10.0 per 100,000 (9.9-11.6 per 100,000). For those respondents who screened positive for a mental illness and a random subsample (5877 respondents) would have to take a second interview. The correlation coefficient across the nine regions between suicide rate in all individuals including those from 15 to 54 years old was 0.00. This experiment uses multivariate models and uses ordinary least squares, using two tailed t tests for statistical significance.
In the study, Household Gun Ownership and Youth Suicide Rates at the State Level, modeled a youth group from the ages 10-19 years old. The overall suicide rate from 2005 through 2015 was considered at the state level as a function of household gun ownership. The study used an already existing experiment from the Boston University Medical Center IRB. The dependent variable in this experiment is considered to be the age-adjusted youth (aged 10–19 years) overall suicide rate in each state. To calculate the sucide rate they divided the number of deaths due to suicide among youths aged 10–19 years in a state by the population of youth , aged 10–19 years, in that state. However, the outcome variable, youth suicide rates, was highly skewed (skewness=1.6) with high kurtosis (5.4). The main exposure variable in this study was the proportion of households with a gun in each state. The set control variables were psychopathological factors (depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors), race, alcohol and drug use, family constellation (single-parent households and people per household),and sociodemographic variables (poverty, divorce, education, unemployment, and urbanicity). The relationship between the prevalence of household gun ownership and youth (aged 10–19 years) suicide rates was examined in a time-lagged analysis of state-level household gun ownership in 2004. The study used youth suicide rates in the subsequent decade (2005–2015), while controlling for the prevalence of youth suicide attempts and other risk factors. To obtain the controlled data for this research they used the YBRSS. The YRBSS is a biennial national in-school survey administered every odd year to a representative sample of youth in ninth through 12th grades in each state. The YBRSS also helped obtain data on the proportion of students who are black, proportion of students who are Native American, and the prevalence of lifetime heroin use, past 30-day marijuana use, and past 30-day binge drinking. Another source used to obtain data was Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was used to obtain data on the proportion of gun-containing households in which guns are stored, loaded and unlocked. The U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey was used to collect data on (1) the proportion of households with children, (2) the average number of people per household, and (3) the proportion of children living in single-parent households. Which are the most common factors of suicide.
The research conducted by David C. Grossman, MD, MPH; Beth A. DrPH was not based on population and used a case-control design. The key exposure in this experiment was firearm storage practices of guns in households with children. The study was based on 37 counties in the states of Washington, Oregon, Missouri, Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane, Wash, and Kansas City, Mo. The control variables here were households having both firearms and exposure to children. David C. Grossman, MD, MPH; Beth A. DrPH gathered a total of 268 people who were interviewed for this study. However, 60 people refused to be interviewed, 80 could not be located or contacted, and 18 were found to be ineligible after the interview was completed. Therefore, only 106 of 250 who were potentially eligible were included as cases. Of the 106 cases 77% were associated with a suicide attempt, and 23% were associated with an unintentional firearm injury. Sixty-four cases were from Washington State, 27 were from Missouri or Kansas, and the remainder were from Oregon (n = 12), Alaska (n = 1), Idaho (n = 1), and Montana (n = 1). Next step was to figure out which households had the right control. Control firearms were identified from randomly selected households in the same counties from which cases were identified. This was only eligible if there was a firearm stored in or around the house. This data was collected by reaching the experimentee via phone call. A total of 37 797 telephone numbers were dialed in the eligible counties, and 14 840 contacts were made. However, 6892 of screening interviews were refused, and 7320 completed the screening interview. Of these, 627 met eligibility criteria for inclusion as controls. Finally, David and Beth successfully completed an interview with 493 respondents. Consequently, 480 households with firearms were ultimately determined to be eligible and were included in the final analyses. The respondents were asked a few questions about the guns they had in their possession. For each gun, the type of firearm, purpose, number of years owned, and details of storage and ammunition (whether stored locked, proximity to firearm) were asked. In the interview of 30 minutes, the respondents were shown photographs of various intrinsic and extrinsic safety devices and firearm types to aid recall. And were given an opportunity to talk in open-ended fashion about the child and the circumstances surrounding his or her injury or death.
In the research paper, Youth firearm suicide: Precipitating/risk factors and gun access, examined firearm suicides among youth and rates of firearm versus other suicide means were consistent during the study period. To find detailed data on all individual victims, the authors used NVDRS, an incident-based violent death reporting system. This system provides data on the victims cause of death whether that be undetermined intent, and unintentional firearm death in participating states since 2003. NVDRS links data from death certificates and includes summaries of coroner/medical examiner and law enforcement (CME/LE) reports from the injury/death scene. In 2003 and 2004, seven and 13 states, respectively, participated in the NVDRS. And from 2005 to 2014 only 16 states provided data. Namkee G.Choi and Diana M.DiNitto chose to focused on suicide decedents under age 21 at the time of injury (n = 7489) between 2005 and 2014. This study is based on the the year 2005–2014 in which the youth died by suicide. The statistical portion of the study was performed using Stata/MP 14. The authors used χ2 tests to examine research question 1, Has firearm use decreased/increased relative to other means among youth suicide victims over time? To examine the second question (do youth who die from firearm suicides differ from those who used other means on sociodemographic characteristics, precipitating factors, or other risk factors?), they used χ2 tests and logistic regression models. Research question number 3 (what types of guns did youth use, who owned the guns, and how did youth access the guns?), was examined using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests for potential gender differences. Something important to remember is that the Sociodemographic variables in this experiement included age at time of the suicide, gender, race/ethnicity, active duty military service status, and census region of injury. The data used in this study include youth up to age 20 because some state laws stipulate 21 years as the minimum age for handgun purchase and possession.
Data/Results:
In the investigation conducted by D. Hemenway and M. Miller, table 1 provides the regional rates of suicide, firearm suicide and non-firearm suicide, the lifetime prevalence of major depression and suicidal thoughts, and the average rates of household handgun ownership over the 10 year period. Seventeen percent (17%) of respondents on the NCS study reported ever having a major depression; residents of the Pacific region had the highest prevalence. Over 13% of respondents reported ever having serious suicidal thoughts. The regions included in this data table were East North Central, East South Central, Mid-Atlantic, Mountain, Northeast, Pacific, South Atlantic, West North Central, West South Central.
Table 1
Region 1 Region 2 Region 3
(NE) (MA) (ENC)
Suicide rate (per 100000) 9.7 9.0 10.9
Firearm suicide rate (per 100 000) 4.2 4.0 6.1
Non-Firearm suicide rate
(per 100 000) 5.5 5.0 4.8
Major depression (prevalence, %) 18.5 15.3 17.1
Suicidal thoughts (prevalence, %) 14.5 11.9 14.2
Household handgun (prevalence, %) 14.1 11.9 19.5
Region 4 Region 5 Region 6
(WNC) (SA) (ESC)
Suicide rate (per 100000) 12.2 13.1 12.9
Firearm suicide rate (per 100 000) 7.2 8.6 9.8
Non-Firearm suicide rate
(per 100 000) 4.9 4.5 3.1
Major depression (prevalence, %) 16.4 16.5 16.8
Suicidal thoughts (prevalence, %) 12.7 13.0 12.7
Household handgun (prevalence, %) 19.2 27.3 38.3
Region 7 Region 8 Region 9
(WSC) (MT) (PAC)
Suicide rate (per 100000) 12.7 18.0 12.6
Firearm suicide rate (per 100 000) 9.0 11.6 6.8
Non-Firearm suicide rate
(per 100 000) 3.8 6.4 5.8
Major depression (prevalence, %) 15.2 16.7 20.9
Suicidal thoughts (prevalence, %) 11.0 19.9 15.2
Household handgun (prevalence, %) 30.7 26.4 22.5
The table above represents the nine regions in which household handgun ownership rates are highly positively correlated with the suicide rate (r = 0.59), and the firearm suicide rate (r = 0.83).
Table 2
The Correlation coefficients here are: rates of suicide, firearm suicide, non-firearm suicide, lifetime major depression, lifetime suicidal thoughts andfirearm ownership, US census regions.Table 2 also shows the percentage of major depression and suicidal thoughts, and household handgun ownership in each region. Residents of the pacific region have shown to have the most amount of people with major depression. Overall, 13% of the nine regions reported to have serious suicidal thoughts. In those 13% the mountain the region had the highest. Based on the table 12% in the Mid-Atlantic region to 38% in the East South Central region own household handguns. According to the tables there is a correlation between owning household guns and suicde rates (r = 0.59) as well as the firearm suicide rate (r = 0.83). And table 2 demonstrates the negative correlation of sucide rates with non-firearms. Table 2 also shows that there is no correlation between the frequency of major depression (r = -0.10) or suicidal thoughts (r = -0.01).
Firearm Non-firearm
Suicide rate suicide rate suicide rate
Firearm suicide rate 0.93
Non-firearm suicide rate 0.27 -0.12
Major depression 0.00 -0.18 0.43
Suicidal thoughts 0.68 0.39 0.77
Household handgun prevalence 0.59 0.83 -0.57
Major depression Suicidal thoughts
Firearm suicide rate
Non-firearm suicide rate
Major depression
Suicidal thoughts 0.39
Household handgun prevalence -0.10 -0.01
The data from the table above comes from the National Center for Health Statistics. And the Psychiatric disorders are derived from the National Comorbidity Study.
In a study conducted by Anita Knopov and Rebecca Sherman, demonstrates the overall youth suicide rate ranged from a high of 15.2 per 100,000 youth in Alaska to a low of 2.6 per 100,000 youth in New Jersey in table 1. The data from table 1 also showed us that in the ten states with the highest youth suicide rates, the average household gun ownership was 52.5%, compared with a household gun ownership rate of 20.0% in the ten states with the lowest youth suicide rates. And figure one shows the household gun ownership level in 2004. Which was highly correlated with the overall youth suicide rate, explaining 55% of the variance across the 50 states.
Table 1 shows the Average Youth Suicide Rates, Gun Ownership Rates, and Suicidal Behavior Rates
| State | Suiciderate (per100,000) | Household gun ownership prevalence (%) | Severe Negative affect prevalence (%) | Suicide planprevalence (%) | Suicideattemptprevalence (%) |
| Alaska | 15.2 | 59.8 | 27.7 | 13.8 | 9.4 |
| South Dakota | 14.9 | 59.9 | 24.3 | 13.5 | 8.7 |
| Wyoming | 11.9 | 65.5 | 27.5 | 15.9 | 9.9 |
| Montana | 11.1 | 62.6 | 26.6 | 13.8 | 8.2 |
| New Mexico | 10.9 | 39.7 | 30.4 | 14.5 | 11.1 |
| North Dakota | 10.6 | 56.2 | 22.7 | 11.6 | 8.8 |
| Idaho | 9.4 | 55.7 | 28.7 | 14.0 | 7.9 |
| Colorado | 8.4 | 34.6 | 25.2 | 10.8 | 7.2 |
| Utah | 8.2 | 44.8 | 26.5 | 12.5 | 7.9 |
| Oklahoma | 7.1 | 46.5 | 27.8 | 11.9 | 6.9 |
| Arizona | 6.8 | 32.3 | 34.4 | 15.1 | 9.8 |
| Iowa | 6.6 | 45.7 | 23.4 | 11.4 | 6.6 |
| Nebraska | 6.4 | 45.4 | 22.6 | 12.2 | 8.0 |
| Arkansas | 6.3 | 58.8 | 30.0 | 14.9 | 11.1 |
| Kansas | 6.2 | 42.8 | 22.7 | 10.2 | 6.7 |
| Minnesota | 6.2 | 41.2 | — | — | — |
| Nevada | 6.0 | 34.0 | 29.7 | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Washington | 6.0 | 34.0 | — | — | — |
| Oregon | 5.9 | 39.8 | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | 5.9 | 10.2 | 30.5 | 16.0 | 11.3 |
| Wisconsin | 5.8 | 43.0 | 23.7 | 12.1 | 7.0 |
| Vermont | 5.8 | 43.8 | 21.9 | 10.3 | 5.3 |
| West Virginia | 5.7 | 58.5 | 29.2 | 12.8 | 8.6 |
| Missouri | 5.6 | 44.2 | 26.2 | 11.6 | 7.6 |
| Kentucky | 5.5 | 47.7 | 28.1 | 12.7 | 8.9 |
| Maine | 5.3 | 40.3 | 23.1 | 11.3 | 7.4 |
| Michigan | 5.3 | 40.8 | 27.4 | 13.5 | 9.0 |
| Indiana | 5.2 | 38.5 | 28.3 | 14.1 | 9.4 |
| Louisiana | 5.2 | 45.0 | 30.8 | 12.7 | 10.9 |
| Ohio | 5.1 | 34.0 | 26.4 | 12.7 | 8.5 |
| Delaware | 4.8 | 26.3 | 25.8 | 10.2 | 7.3 |
| Tennessee | 4.8 | 46.6 | 27.9 | 12.4 | 8.1 |
| Texas | 4.8 | 37.1 | 29.4 | 12.6 | 9.2 |
| Alabama | 4.7 | 52.2 | 27.9 | 14.0 | 9.8 |
| South Carolina | 4.7 | 43.3 | 28.0 | 12.9 | 10.0 |
| Virginia | 4.5 | 37.5 | 26.1 | 13.4 | 8.9 |
| Mississippi | 4.5 | 54.6 | 28.0 | 12.3 | 9.8 |
| North Carolina | 4.4 | 39.4 | 27.5 | 12.3 | 12.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.2 | 35.1 | 25.7 | 11.5 | 6.6 |
| New Hampshire | 4.2 | 31.0 | 25.4 | 10.5 | 6.1 |
| Florida | 4.0 | 25.2 | 26.2 | 10.0 | 7.2 |
| Illinois | 3.9 | 20.7 | 27.9 | 13.0 | 9.1 |
| Georgia | 3.7 | 40.3 | 29.3 | 13.1 | 8.7 |
| Maryland | 3.5 | 21.7 | 26.2 | 12.0 | 9.5 |
| Connecticut | 3.3 | 18.1 | 25.1 | 11.7 | 8.7 |
| California | 3.1 | 20.1 | 29.7 | 15.2 | 8.2 |
| Rhode Island | 3.1 | 12.4 | 25.1 | 11.1 | 9.8 |
| Massachusetts | 3.0 | 11.5 | 24.8 | 11.4 | 6.7 |
| New York | 2.7 | 18.5 | 25.5 | 10.2 | 7.7 |
| New Jersey | 2.6 | 11.4 | 27.4 | 11.2 | 8.0 |
Figure 1 shows the relationship between household gun ownership in 2004 and log of youth suicide rate.
Table 2 shows the prevalence of youth with severe negative affect, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts, as well as a range of youth-specific behavioral risk factors and state-level socioeconomic factors. Household gun ownership in 2004 was positively associated with the overall youth suicide rate during the period 2005–2015.
| Variable | Regression coefficient (95% CI) | f2 |
| Gun ownership | 0.269 (0.140, 0.398) | 0.68 |
| Severe negative affect | –0.023 (–0.088, 0.043) | — |
| Suicidal planning | –0.013 (–0.090, 0.065) | — |
| Suicide attempts | 0.070 (0.007, 0.133) | — |
| Percent black | –0.011 (–0.023, 0.000) | — |
| Percent Native American | 0.021 (0.002, 0.039) | — |
| Heroin use | –0.001 (–0.104, 0.103) | — |
| Marijuana use | –0.008 (–0.016, 0.000) | — |
| Binge drinking | 0.008 (–0.014, 0.031) | — |
| Poverty rate | –0.014 (–0.062, 0.035) | — |
| Divorce rate | 0.008 (–0.080, 0.095) | — |
| Alcohol consumption | 0.088 (–0.064, 0.241) | — |
| Educational attainment | 0.004 (–0.018, 0.026) | — |
| Unemployment | –0.013 (–0.081, 0.054) | — |
| Percent urban | 0.006 (–0.001, 0.014) | — |
| Percent of households with children | –0.032 (–0.084, 0.020) | — |
| Average household size | 0.860 (–0.341, 2.061) | — |
| Percent of children in single-family households | 0.011 (–0.043, 0.065) | — |
| Gun households with loaded and unlocked guns | 0.002 (–0.022, 0.026) | — |
| R2 | 0.92 | — |
Table 2 is showing the results of Multivariable Linear Regression Analyses Modeling Overall Youth Suicide Rates.
A study conducted by David C. Grossman and Beth A. Mueller included 5 charts in their study. However in this research paper I will be using tables 1,3, and 5. Table one shows respondents from households with case and control firearms were generally similar with regard to sex, race, and whether they were homeowners or living in single-family homes. As well as, respondents from households with case firearms were somewhat less likely to be married, a college graduate, or to have a household income of at least $70 000.
Table 3 shows us where and how the guns were stored as well as the number of incidents involving where the guns were stored. In table 3 we see that case guns were less likely to be stored unloaded than control guns (OR, 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.56). Based on the results in table 3 we see that case guns were less likely to be stored and locked, stored separately from ammunition, or to have ammunition that was locked than were control guns.
Table 3 shows us that firearms that were unlocked and loaded, those stored locked and unloaded were less likely to be involved in a shooting.
Table 5 shows us the people that were injured by guns unintentionally and intentionally. This chart records the number of guns that were locked, unloaded or with ammunition and locked. As well as, guns that were either locked and ammunition accessible or the gun was accessible but the ammunition wasn’t, or that neither was accessible. Table 5 also shows us where these guns were stored.
In a study conducted by Namkee G.Choi and Diana M.DiNitto there were several data tables and graphs showing different aspects of their experiment. However, this study will only contain data table number 1, 3 and 4. The table below shows the Characteristics of suicide decedents aged 6–20 years by suicide means throught the years 2005 and 2014. The table shows 7489 youths under 21 years of age who died by suicide between 2005 and 2014 in NVDRS participating states. It was concluded that of the 7489, 41.6% used firearms, 45.4% hanging/suffocation, 6.6% poisoning, and 6.5% other methods.
Table 1.
| All(N = 7489; 100%) | Firearm(N = 3116; 41.59%) | Hanging/suffocation(N = 3395; 45.35%) | Poisoning(N = 495; 6.61%) | Other means(N = 483; 6.45% | p | |
| Mean age (yrs, SE) | 17.42 (0.03) | 17.62 (0.04) | 17.04 (0.04) | 18.01 (0.09) | 18.20 (0.08) | < 0.001 |
| Age group (yrs, %) | < 0.001 | |||||
| 6–14 | 12.00 | 8.89 | 16.81 | 6.87 | 3.52 | |
| 15–17 | 32.15 | 32.39 | 33.33 | 26.87 | 27.74 | |
| 18–20 | 55.84 | 58.72 | 49.86 | 66.26 | 68.74 | |
| Gender (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| Male | 78.54 | 88.73 | 72.20 | 59.60 | 76.76 | |
| Female | 21.46 | 11.27 | 27.80 | 40.40 | 23.24 | |
| Race/ethnicity (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 70.16 | 74.61 | 65.49 | 75.76 | 68.53 | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 10.83 | 10.85 | 11.48 | 7.07 | 9.94 | |
| Hispanic | 10.15 | 7.58 | 12.75 | 9.09 | 9.52 | |
| Asian | 1.82 | 0.96 | 2.15 | 3.43 | 3.31 | |
| American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) | 3.54 | 2.92 | 4.34 | 2.42 | 3.11 | |
| Other | 3.51 | 3.08 | 3.80 | 2.22 | 5.59 | |
| Active duty military (%) | 2.59 | 3.43 | 1.91 | 1.82 | 2.69 | < 0.001 |
| Home as injury location (%) | 66.84 | 65.07 | 76.30 | 66.67 | 12.01 | < 0.001 |
| Census region (%) | < 0.001 | |||||
| Northeast | 10.96 | 3.76 | 15.25 | 15.35 | 22.77 | |
| Midwest | 14.65 | 13.42 | 15.52 | 13.94 | 17.18 | |
| South | 47.02 | 54.96 | 42.120 | 39.80 | 37.06 | |
| West | 27.37 | 27.87 | 27.03 | 30.91 | 22.98 | |
| Left a suicide note (%) | 29.22 | 29.34 | 28.65 | 36.16 | 25.26 | 0.001 |
| Precipitating/risk factors (%) | ||||||
| Current mental health problem | 33.80 | 24.82 | 38.34 | 56.16 | 36.85 | < 0.001 |
| Recent depressed mood | 31.18 | 29.34 | 32.98 | 36.16 | 25.26 | < 0.001 |
| Alcohol problem | 6.53 | 5.97 | 6.63 | 7.68 | 8.28 | 0.157 |
| Other substance abuse problem | 14.23 | 13.19 | 13.78 | 21.21 | 16.98 | < 0.001 |
| Recent suicide attempt or disclosure of suicidal intent | 36.33 | 29.34 | 39.93 | 49.49 | 42.65 | < 0.001 |
| Relationship problem | 47.87 | 45.94 | 52.09 | 40.81 | 37.89 | < 0.001 |
| School-related problem | 13.89 | 12.91 | 15.52 | 12.32 | 10.35 | 0.001 |
| Criminal/other legal problem | 10.94 | 11.54 | 10.79 | 9.49 | 9.52 | 0.351 |
| Job/finance/housing problem | 6.72 | 6.81 | 6.65 | 6.67 | 6.63 | 0.997 |
| Recent death of family or friend | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.18 | 5.25 | 4.14 | 0.747 |
| Recent suicide of family or friend | 3.27 | 2.60 | 4.15 | 2.22 | 2.48 | 0.002 |
| Physical health problem | 2.88 | 2.99 | 2.03 | 8.28 | 2.69 | < 0.001 |
| Any crisis | 31.25 | 31.82 | 32.50 | 26.67 | 23.40 | < 0.001 |
| History of mental health/substance abuse treatment | 30.67 | 21.86 | 35.30 | 51.31 | 33.95 | < 0.001 |
| Recent mental health/substance abuse treatment | 24.01 | 16.06 | 27.90 | 43.64 | 27.95 | < 0.001 |
Data table number 3 shows the type, ownership, and loaded/locked status of guns firearm suicide decedents used by gender. Table three also demonstrates youth who died from firearm suicide, 54.7% (52.7% for males; 70.7% for females) used handguns, and the rest used rifles and shotguns in equal proportions. Data in table 3 helped us conclude that Among those with gun ownership information, 23.0% used their own guns, 53.3% used a gun that belonged to a parent/stepparent, 11.7% used one that belonged to another family member, and 7.9% used one that belonged to an acquaintance/friend.
Table 3.
| All(N = 3116; 100%) | Male(N = 2765; 88.74%) | Female(N = 351; 11.26%) | p | |
| Gun type | < 0.001 | |||
| Hand gun | 54.72 | 52.69 | 70.66 | |
| Rifle | 18.77 | 19.82 | 10.54 | |
| Shotgun | 17.72 | 18.81 | 9.12 | |
| Unknown | 8.72 | 8.68 | 9.69 | |
| Gun ownership | < 0.001 | |||
| Decedent (was a gift or bought) | 7.80 | 8.32 | 3.70 | |
| Parent/stepparent | 18.07 | 16.93 | 27.07 | |
| Grandparent/other family member | 3.98 | 3.83 | 5.13 | |
| Friend/acquaintance | 2.66 | 2.17 | 6.55 | |
| Stranger/stolen/other | 1.41 | 1.56 | 0.28 | |
| Unknown | 66.08 | 67.20 | 57.26 | |
| Gun ownership excluding “unknown” (N = 1057 for all; 907 males; 150 females) | < 0.001 | |||
| Decedent (was a gift or bought) | 22.99 | 25.36 | 8.67 | |
| Parent/stepparent | 53.26 | 51.60 | 63.33 | |
| Grandparent/other family member | 11.73 | 11.69 | 12.00 | |
| Friend/acquaintance | 7.85 | 6.62 | 15.33 | |
| Stranger/stolen/other | 4.16 | 4.74 | 0.67 | |
| Guns belonging to parent/family member (n = 686 for all; 537 males; 113 females) | ||||
| Locked (in safe or with gun locks) | 20.99 | 21.29 | 19.47 | 0.075 |
| Not locked | 28.43 | 26.70 | 37.17 | |
| Unknown | 50.58 | 52.01 | 43.36 | |
| Loaded | 12.39 | 10.65 | 21.24 | 0.006 |
| Not loaded | 17.06 | 17.80 | 13.27 | |
| Unknown | 70.55 | 71.11 | 65.49 |
Table number 4 gives us examples from narrative summaries of gun access and circumstances of death in coroner/medical examiner/law enforcement reports. Table 4 helps us conclude that in many cases, children simply grab a gun that was in plain sight or only superficially hidden (e.g., under mattress/couch). This data also shows us that even if a gun was locked away, adolescents knew where the keys were. This data table tells us how parents were surprised that their child knew how to operate a gun.
Table 4.
| Age, race, gender | Gun access and circumstances of death narrative |
| 13-year old Black female | The 0.25 caliber handgun was kept safe in parents’ bedroom. Parents had key. Victim got into trouble and her father told her that she could no longer be on cheerleading team. Victim’s friend recently died due to violence. |
| 15-year old White female | Parents disapproved, so her 18-year old boyfriend ended relationship. The 0.22 revolver belonged to her father and was stored in an unlocked gun cabinet. No history of depression. Did not leave suicide note. |
| 15-year old White female | Victim was found by her mother unresponsive at the store where she worked and the family owned. Dad said the gun, 0.357 Taurus 5-shot revolver, was stored loaded in a drawer at the store and the victim knew where the gun was kept and how to use it. Left a suicide note reporting that she was being bullied at school. |
| 17-year old White female | Victim’s father bought the gun for her for target practice. It was stored in the father’s closet and she was not allowed to take it out unsupervised. Victim was starting her senior year the next day and was upset, afraid that she wouldn’t get good grades to go to a good college; field investigator says she thought she was “not smart enough”, although it’s not clear whether those where the exact words she used. |
| 18-year old White female | The 0.38 caliber revolver belonged to her mother, who inherited it from her father. The victim had depression and saw a therapist. Victim had confessed to a relative that she stole from a residence she worked at. Victim received a call from police regarding the theft. V left a suicide note. Blood toxicology negative. |
| 19-year old White female | The firearm belonged to victim’s father; there was a trigger lock on the firearm, which was stored in a locked box; he was unsure if the weapon was loaded, but that he kept the ammunition in the locked box along with the firearm. Victim had a history of depression, mood disorder NOS, OCD, an unspecified eating disorder, and substance abuse and was on medication prescribed by a psychiatrist. Parents were having problems within their marriage and reported that they did not provide support to victim. |
| 13-year old White male | Victim suffered from severe depression and had been attending counseling sessions for his depression. He stole the 0.25 caliber Beretta handgun from a friend’s parent’s bedroom. |
| 14-year old Other race male | The 0.40 caliber revolver was sitting on a shelf with two loaded magazines in the parent’s bedroom. The victim came home from school, went into his parent’s bedroom, took the gun, and shot himself in the head. A goodbye note was found in the victim’s notebook. No further circumstances are known. |
| 15-year old White male | The 0.22 caliber revolver was a gift from his mother’s boyfriend. Victim had no history of depression or reason for suicide. The suicide note stated that it was victim’s fifth time attempting suicide. |
| 16-year old White male | The 0.38 caliber revolver was owned/registered to a family member. It is unknown whether the gun was locked appropriately. On the day of the incident the victim, who was an honor roll student, was caught cheating on a test at school. |
| 16-year old White male | The victim had been in an altercation with his brother when his brother accused him of taking a video game. The victim became irate and physically attacked his brother. His brother’s friend got in between the two breaking up the confrontation. The victim then went outside grabbed his grandmother’s gun (0.38 caliber revolver) out of her car and shot himself. The victim was known to use marijuana and drink alcoholic beverages; had a history of mental health issues and anger management. |
| 16-year old White male | Victim’ father bought the victim the firearm for his 14th birthday so that he could use it for deer hunting. The firearm was kept in a locked gun safe, but the victim did know where the keys were kept. |
| 16-year old White male | Victim was at a shooting range with his father when he walked into the treeline and shot himself. No suicide attempts or ideation in the past. Per aunt, he had longstanding depression and was combative and aggressive. Toxicology negative for drugs and ethanol. |
| 17-year old Hispanic male | Student at a local high school. He had recently been upset regarding a volatile relationship with a girlfriend. The 0.22 caliber revolver belonged to subject’s brother who had purchased it for protection three weeks prior to this incident. Subject was not familiar with guns in general and had no history of drugs or alcohol abuse or suicidal tendencies. |
| 17-year old White male | The weapon belonged to victim’s father and was stored in a gun safe. It was the victim’s favorite gun to shoot. The victim was failing two classes at high school, so his parents grounded him from his cell phone and his car the night before. Parent found him dead in his car in a neighbor’s field. He had a revolver in his hand; several beer cans were on the floorboard of the vehicle. No history of depression, threats of suicide, or any medication intake. |
| 17-year old White male | A friend stated that the victim recently bought the 0.22 caliber rifle from an individual and was hiding it from his mom. He had been depressed over the last week due to fighting with his mother. He had been text messaging his girlfriend about committing suicide. He was then admitted to a mental ward. On this date he had sent a text message to a friend stating that he was going to shoot himself. |
| 17-year old White male | Numerous guns were in the home. They were kept in a locked safe in the garage. Police found a key in the lock on the safe which was wide open when they found the victim’s body in the garage next to a 0.44 caliber revolver. The victim had dated a girl for 3 months and they had broken up 1 month ago. He wanted to get back with her, but she refused. He threatened her that he was going to kill himself. |
| 18-year old White male | Victim bought the shotgun from a local discount store the day prior to the incident. A suicide note was found indicating that he was despondent over the death of his girlfriend who died in a car accident six weeks prior. |
| 20-year old White male | Victim bought the shotgun from a local discount store the day prior to the incident in bathroom stall of his fraternity house. Victim locked self in stall, called roommate on cell phone, and told roommate that he was going to shoot self. Characterized by roommate as “loner.” Roommate also stated that victim had had relationship problems with girlfriend. Note found on computer. History of depression, though issue of treatment is unclear. |
Discussion:
In the study conducted by D. Hemenway and M. Miller, results showed that across the United States there are more handguns and there are higher rates of firearm suicide, lower rates of non-firearm suicide, but higher levels of overall suicide. The data collected in this study showed us that the association between rates of handgun ownership and suicide remains strong at the regional level even after accounting for the lifetime prevalence of major depression and suicidal thoughts. Household handgun ownership rates are highly positively correlated with the suicide rate (r = 0.59) and the firearm suicide rate (r = 0.83). The D. Hemenway and M. Miller’s experiment supports my thesis that there is a strong correlation between household handguns and suicide rate. Although the data shows that owning a handgun does not affect one’s mental health, it does however state that in America there is a higher rate of gun usage and a higher rate of firearm suicide. Data collected in table 2 shows the negative correlation with the non-firearm suicide rate (r = -0.57). Across the nation we see the higher rate of overall suicide, however most of the suicde hat occurs come from people who own handguns in their property. Although Hemenway and Miller’s study has other factors that they focus on, their main results were that owning a handgun or other firearm in the home is a risk factor for suicide. The study of D. Hemenway and M. Miller concluded that in regions with higher levels of household handgun ownership, there are higher rates of firearm suicide, lower rates of non-firearm suicide, and higher rates of overall suicide.
In the article, Household Gun Ownership and Youth Suicide Rates, the authors goal was determining whether the prevalence of gun ownership is associated with youth suicide. The authors Anita Knopov and Rebecca J.Sherman concluded that the prevalence of household gun ownership in a state in 2004 was strongly associated with the youth suicide rate over the next decade. The data collected in this study showed that Illinois had a low youth suicide rate 3.9 suicides per 100,000 youth and Iowa had a higher suicide rate 6.6 suicides per 100,000 youth. However the major difference between these two states was that Illinois had a household gun ownership rate of 20.7%, whereas Iowa had a household gun ownership rate of 45.7%. Which signifies that the higher the levels are of household gun ownership the higher the rates of overall youth suicide. Using this study can we can suggest that lowering the overall prevalence of household gun ownership could be an effective strategy to prevent youth suicide. Considering that this paper concluded that there is a strong association between the prevalence of household gun ownership and the rate of youth suicides, we can suggest that if Americans keep their guns away from their homes, suicide rates of youth could lower.
The objective in a study conducted by David C. Grossman and Beth A. Mueller was to measure the association of specific household firearm storage practices (locking guns, locking ammunition, keeping guns unloaded) and the risk of unintentional and self-inflicted firearm injuries. The data cllcetd by these authors concluded that the presence of a household firearm is associated with an increased risk of suicide among adults and adolescents. This study included 106 respondents with case firearms and 480 with control firearms in which 81 were suicide attempts (95% fatal) and 25 were unintentional injuries (52% fatal). From the data collected it is clear how the storage of firearms in homes can lead to high risk of unintentional injury and intentional injury. Most of the injuries involving firearms come from being stored in the residence of the victim, friend, or relative. Firearms in America are very accessible which make the rate of suicde very vulnerable. Considering that most children in America grow up surrounded by guns make it very difficult for the rate of suicide to decrease. The article mentioned that about 35% of homes in the United States with children younger than 18 years reported owning at least 1 firearm, and that 43% of these homes had at least 1 unlocked firearm. No matter how safe the parent feels the firearm is stored, children and adolescents can always find a way to access it.
Authors Namkee G.Choi and Diana M. DiNitto conducted a research to examine firearm suicides among youth. In the extensive research Choi and DiNitto concluded that more than three-fourths of all youth suicide victims were male, and that nearly half of male youth suicides and a little over one-fifth of female youth suicides were by firearms. The rates of suicide by firearms are very alerting considering data show that firearm suicide rates decreased among men aged 50–64 years during the same period. Data collected in this study showed that unfortunately, suicide attempt rates are higher among female than male youth, more than three-fourths of youth suicide decedents were male, likely because more male than female youths chose firearms over other means. Disregarding the sex of the victim, rates of suicide is high and can only decrease if parents keep their firearms anywhere but their homes. The research concluded that almost two-thirds of firearm suicide victims used guns that belonged to parents or other family members. As shown in study, many parents kept their guns in plain sight. While some parents thought they had stored their guns out of children’s reach, children did not appear to have much trouble accessing these weapons. Many parents give their kids as a gift, some for reasons of protection, and the child uses the weapon to hurt him/herself. Many adolescents go through, what seems like a minor inconvenience, but seek very impulsive actions. In other words, no matter how well parents think their guns are hidden or how helpful they think these weapons are, it’s best to find alternate solutions for both scenarios.
Conclusion:
Unfortunately, in America we lose many loved ones due to the lack of information on firearms. Suicidal rates have escalated throughout the years, as well as the ownership of handguns. Although handguns are a way to protect yourself from any danger it comes with a higher price. As the study shows, in America there is higher rate of suicide by firearm than any other suicide rate. Not only in America but many other parts of the world for example there are growing concerns about the recent increasing rates of middle-aged suicide in Asian countries Unfortunetly, suicide by fiream is a pandemic that no one takes seriously. Many children
Resources:
- Hemenway, D., & Miller, M. (2002). Association of rates of household handgun ownership, lifetime major depression, and serious suicidal thoughts with rates of suicide across US census regions. (Original Article). Injury Prevention, 8(4), 313+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A95777028/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-A ONE xid=92eda3a2
- Moran, M., & Muir, M. S. P. (2021). Gun Violence: A Chronic Disease Affecting American Youth. Pediatric Nursing, 47(4), 200+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673066200/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-A ONE xid=db487607
- Szlyk, H. S., Azasu, E., & Joe, S. (2019). Firearm Suicide as a Human Rights Priority for Prevention. Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 60, 133+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A605510548/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=bookmark-A ONE xid=c28da3df
- David C. Grossman, M. D. (2005, February 9). Gun storage practices and risk of youth suicide and unintentional firearm injuries. JAMA. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/200330/.
- Knopov, A., Sherman, R. J., Raifman, J. R., Larson, E., & Siegel, M. B. (2019, January 17). Household gun ownership and youth suicide rates at the state level, 2005–2015. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379718323833.
Choi, N. G., DiNitto, D. M., & Marti, C. N. (2017, October 18). Youth firearm suicide: Precipitating/risk factors and gun access. Children and Youth Services Review. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740917306977?casa_token=NdBiylJGhscAAAAA%3AwIcgJnGxGvbzXvl7JMmvdAiS9RIRB16gAhrLBeCwRQEzn6bk2Ghz_KUUEjj2LQ4a4zCdj5E#f0005.
