Tighter gun laws associated with lower suicide rates

A new study has found that four gun laws are significantly associated with lower rates of firearm suicide.

Researchers gathered data on the presence or absence of four firearm laws in each state: waiting periods for gun purchases, background checks for purchase or licensing, handgun locks, and restrictions on the open carrying of handguns. Then they collected the data on gun suicide rates in each state. The study is in The American Journal of Public Health.

After controlling for population density, race and ethnicity, education, poverty and age, they found that each of the four laws was associated with a lower rate of suicide by gun as well as a lower overall rate of suicide.

In 11 states with waiting periods, the longer the waiting period, the lower the gun suicide rate. Compared with states without the laws, background checks were associated with a 53 per cent lower gun suicide rate, gun locks with a 68 per cent lower rate and restrictions on open carrying a 42 per cent lower rate.

The authors acknowledge that they were unable to account for other variables that could be relevant, including religiosity and prevalence of mental illness, among others.

“When you make a highly lethal method of suicide harder to access, you’re going to lower the suicide rate,” said the lead author, Michael D. Anestis, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi. “We need to emphasise evidence-based gun safety among gun owners.”