Firearm deaths in Sweden

Junuzovic, Mensura; Rietz, Anders; Jakobsson, Ulf; Midlöv, Patrik; Eriksson, Anders

doi:10.1093/eurpub/cky137

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Gunshot wounds to the head are reported means of suicide encountered in the forensic autopsy practice, especially in men, while women more likely to choose overdosing [3][4][5][6][7]. In particular, Velo-Dog revolvers possess a very low-density energy compared with typical handguns, and as evidenced in our case, even close-contact injuries will probably be non-fatal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

A Suicide Attempt with a Velo-Dog Pocket Revolver in an Alleged Victim of Carjacking

Durão

Dinis-Oliveira

2022

Forensic Sciences

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In hospital emergencies, we can have the most picturesque and impressive cases, from the simplest to the most complex. Violence cases are not rare, and among these are the injuries caused by firearms, which may vary in severity depending on the affected region and the energy of the projectile. Head injuries are generally very serious, and it is rare the individuals survival without sequelae. This work reports a 38-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency room alone in the morning, walking, lucid, and oriented, mentioning that the night before he was in the car and that he had been shot in the head in an attempt at carjacking. On examination, he had only one entry wound in the right temporal region, and the history revealed a suicide attempt with a very rare firearm: a Velo-Dog. We hypothesized that the low-density energy of this revolver, which historically used to be carried by cyclists as a defense against dog attacks, may partially explains the non-skull penetration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

A Suicide Attempt with a Velo-Dog Pocket Revolver in an Alleged Victim of Carjacking

Durão

Dinis-Oliveira

2022

Forensic Sciences

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Firearms are preferred by males as a suicide means both by adults [ 39 ] and children in the present study. In Sweden, licensed firearm owners are mostly male and are hunters [ 39 , 40 ] and it is common that children follow their family in the hunt [ 41 ]. Research has shown that household availability and familiarity with firearms are important risk factors for suicides among youths in the USA [ 42 , 43 ] and Australia [ 44 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Swedish firearm legislation is very restrictive, limiting firearm licenses to persons > 18 years of age and requiring mandatory firearm storage in safety lockers [ 38 ]. Firearms can, only in exceptional circumstances, be licensed to individuals < 18 years, and a lower annual number of suicides due to firearms (1.5) among children than among Swedish adults (⁓ 100) [ 39 ] is thus expected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child suicides in Sweden, 2000–2018

2021

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Although child mortality is decreasing in Sweden, an increase in suicide rates has been previously observed among children and adolescents collectively. To increase knowledge about trends, demographics, and means in child suicides, data including all child (< 18 years) suicides in Sweden in 2000 through 2018 were retrieved from the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine. In all, a total of 416 child suicides were found in a 19-year period, accounting for an annual suicide rate of 1.1/100,000 child population. The number of suicides increased with 2.2% by each successive year during the study period (p < 0.001). The mean age in both sexes was 16 years; boys accounted for 55% and girls for 45% of all study cases. The majority of the children who died by suicide (96%) were teenagers (13–17 years old) and suicides in children younger than 10 years were uncommon. Suicide methods were 59% hanging, 20% lying/jumping in front of a moving object, 8% jumping from a height, 7% firearm injury, 4% poisoning, and 2% other methods. Sex differences were significant (p < 0.001) only for firearms being preferably used by boys. The vast majority of firearms used were licensed long-barreled weapons.Conclusion: The number of child suicides in Sweden is relatively low but increasing. Most of the children used a violent and highly lethal method. Prevention of premature mortality is an urgent concern with an emphasis on resolutely reducing the availability of suicide means. What is Known:• Suicide is a significant cause of death globally among children, bringing tragic consequences for young individuals, their family, and the entire society.• Suicide rates and distribution of suicide methods in children differ between countries and settings, but studies of time trends are scarce. What is New:• Increasing number of minors’ suicides and the predominance of violent methods emphasize the importance of prevention strategies tailored for a child population.• Even in a setting of very restrictive firearm laws, firearm suicides in children must not be overlooked.

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“…The epidemiology of firearm injuries (FI) varies among countries 1–6. Excluding war areas, the USA reports the highest rate of gunshot-related fatalities, including homicides, suicides and unintentional deaths 1 2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology and characteristics of firearm injuries in a French level I trauma centre, 2009–2019

et al. 2021

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BackgroundFirearm injuries (FI) are an increasing problem in Europe but there have been few European epidemiological studies on civilian FI, particularly in France. This study investigated the epidemiology of FI at a French level I trauma centre.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients admitted to our centre with an FI between January 2009 and December 2019. We investigated the epidemiological trends of FI during the study period, and characterised the FI.ResultsA total of 162 patients were victims of FI. Prevalence was 0.11% and the mean annual incidence was 10.4 per 100 000 habs. A significant increase has been observed over the last 10 years, from 5 cases in 2009 (3.1%) to 30 in 2019 (18.5%). Of the 162 victims, 85 (52.5%) died as a direct result of the FI: 72 suicides (88.9%) and 9 victims of urban violence (11.1%) (armed public environment disorder). 95.3% of the patients died before reaching at the hospital. There were 95 cases (58.7%) of suicide and 33 cases (20.4%) of urban violence. The head was shot in 87 cases (48.9%), the thorax in 32 cases (18.5%) and the lower limbs in 24 cases (13.5%). A total of 106 surgeries were performed on 54 patients (33.3%).ConclusionsWe identified 162 cases of FI with a mean annual incidence of 10.4 per 100 000 habs. A significant increase in FI was observed over the last 10 years. 52.2% of patients died, and the main context was suicide or attempted suicide.

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Firearm deaths in Sweden

Abstract: Not one single suicide victim nor any shooter in accidental deaths in the present study had been reported according to the firearm law, bringing the evidence of a suboptimal framework.

Cited by 7 publications

References 26 publications

A Suicide Attempt with a Velo-Dog Pocket Revolver in an Alleged Victim of Carjacking

A Suicide Attempt with a Velo-Dog Pocket Revolver in an Alleged Victim of Carjacking

Child suicides in Sweden, 2000–2018

Epidemiology and characteristics of firearm injuries in a French level I trauma centre, 2009–2019

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