Dataset Information

The Impact of State Firearm Laws on Homicide and Suicide Deaths in the USA, 1991-2016: a Panel Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Firearm injuries are a major cause of mortality in the USA. Few recent studies have simultaneously examined the impact of multiple state gun laws to determine their independent association with homicide and suicide rates.

Objective

To examine the relationship between state firearm laws and overall homicide and suicide rates at the state level across all 50 states over a 26-year period.

Design

Using a panel design, we analyzed the relationship between 10 state firearm laws and total, age-adjusted homicide and suicide rates from 1991 to 2016 in a difference-in-differences, fixed effects, multivariable regression model. There were 1222 observations for homicide analyses and 1300 observations for suicide analyses.

Participants

Populations of all US states.

Main measures

The outcome measures were the annual age-adjusted rates of homicide and suicide in each state during the period 1991-2016. We controlled for a wide range of state-level factors.

Key results

Universal background checks were associated with a 14.9% (95% CI, 5.2-23.6%) reduction in overall homicide rates, violent misdemeanor laws were associated with a 18.1% (95% CI, 8.1-27.1%) reduction in homicide, and "shall issue" laws were associated with a 9.0% (95% CI, 1.1-17.4%) increase in homicide. These laws were significantly associated only with firearm-related homicide rates, not non-firearm-related homicide rates. None of the other laws examined were consistently related to overall homicide or suicide rates.

Conclusions

We found a relationship between the enactment of two types of state firearm laws and reductions in homicide over time. However, further research is necessary to determine whether these associations are causal ones.

SUBMITTER: Siegel M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6816623 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The Impact of State Firearm Laws on Homicide and Suicide Deaths in the USA, 1991-2016: a Panel Study.

Siegel Michael M Pahn Molly M Xuan Ziming Z Fleegler Eric E Hemenway David D

Journal of general internal medicine 20190328 10

<h4>Background</h4>Firearm injuries are a major cause of mortality in the USA. Few recent studies have simultaneously examined the impact of multiple state gun laws to determine their independent association with homicide and suicide rates.<h4>Objective</h4>To examine the relationship between state firearm laws and overall homicide and suicide rates at the state level across all 50 states over a 26-year period.<h4>Design</h4>Using a panel design, we analyzed the relationship between 10 state fir ...[more]

PMID: 30924089

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Project description:Importance:Firearm laws in one state may be associated with increased firearm death rates from homicide and suicide in neighboring states. Objective:To determine whether counties located closer to states with lenient firearm policies have higher firearm death rates. Design, Setting, and Participants:This cross-sectional study of firearm death rates by county for January 2010 to December 2014 examined data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for firearm suicide and homicide decedents for 3108 counties in the 48 contiguous states of the United States. Exposures:Each county was assigned 2 scores, a state policy score (range, 0-12) based on the strength of its state firearm laws, and an interstate policy score (range, -1.33 to 8.31) based on the sum of population-weighted and distance-decayed policy scores for all other states. Counties were divided into those with low, medium, and high home state and interstate policy scores. Main Outcomes and Measures:County-level rates of firearm, nonfirearm, and total homicide and suicide. With multilevel Bayesian spatial Poisson models, we generated incidence rate ratios (IRR) comparing incidence rates between each group of counties and the reference group, counties with high home state and high interstate policy scores. Results:Stronger firearm laws in a state were associated with lower firearm suicide rates and lower overall suicide rates regardless of the strength of the other states' laws. Counties with low state scores had the highest rates of firearm suicide. Rates were similar across levels of interstate policy score (low: IRR, 1.34; 95% credible interval [CI], 1.11-1.65; medium: IRR, 1.36, (95% CI, 1.15-1.65; and high: IRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.20-1.73). Counties with low state and low or medium interstate policy scores had the highest rates of firearm homicide. Counties with low home state and interstate scores had higher firearm homicide rates (IRR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.02-1.88) and overall homicide rates (IRR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.03-1.67). Counties in states with low firearm policy scores had lower rates of firearm homicide only if the interstate firearm policy score was high. Conclusions and Relevance:Strong state firearm policies were associated with lower suicide rates regardless of other states' laws. Strong policies were associated with lower homicide rates, and strong interstate policies were also associated with lower homicide rates, where home state policies were permissive. Strengthening state firearm policies may prevent firearm suicide and homicide, with benefits that may extend beyond state lines.

Project description:ImportanceFirearms caused more than 500 pediatric fatalities in 2017-a 50% increase from 2009. Laws regulating firearms are one approach to reducing pediatric firearm fatalities.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between state child access prevention (CAP) firearm laws and pediatric firearm fatalities.Design, setting, and participantsA state-level, cross-sectional study of CAP firearm laws throughout the United States, 1991-2016, was conducted using negative binomial regression to analyze differences in state fatality rates in children aged 0 to 14 years. Data analysis was performed from November 21, 2018, to October 18, 2019.ExposuresImplementation of 2 categories of state CAP firearm laws: recklessness laws, which pertain to providing a firearm to a child, and negligence laws, which pertain to accessibility of a firearm within the home.Main outcomes and measuresRates of firearm fatalities across all intents and by specific intent (homicide, suicide, and unintentional) per 100 000 children aged 0 to 14 years.ResultsTwenty-five states passed CAP laws between 1989 and 2000. Between 1991 and 2016, 13 697 firearm fatalities occurred in children aged 0 to 14 years. Recklessness laws were not associated with changes in pediatric firearm fatality rates. Negligence laws overall were associated with significant reductions in firearm fatalities in children aged 0 to 14 years, with a 13% relative reduction in all firearm fatalities (95% CI, -18% to -7%), a 15% relative reduction in firearm homicides (95% CI, -22% to -7%), a 12% relative reduction in firearm suicides (95% CI, -20% to -2%), and a 13% relative reduction in unintentional firearm fatalities (95% CI, -24% to -1%). The most stringent negligence laws were associated with unintentional firearm fatality reductions of 59% (95% CI, -68% to -49%). A total of 3929 deaths (29% of all firearm deaths) were associated with states not having passed the most stringent form of negligence CAP laws.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, negligence laws were associated with relative reductions in firearm fatality rates in children aged 0 to 14 years. The most stringent negligence laws were associated with the largest reductions in unintentional firearm fatalities. Recklessness laws were not associated with reduced firearm fatality rates. The passage of negligence CAP laws may have the potential to reduce firearm fatalities in children.

Dataset Information

The Impact of State Firearm Laws on Homicide and Suicide Deaths in the USA, 1991-2016: a Panel Study.

Background

Objective

Design

Participants

Main measures

Key results

Conclusions

Publications

The Impact of State Firearm Laws on Homicide and Suicide Deaths in the USA, 1991-2016: a Panel Study.

Similar Datasets

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