Perceptions of firearms and suicide: The role of misinformation in storage practices and openness to means safety measures

Firearm Ownership, Means Safety, and Suicidality

“…These numbers dramatically exceed those reported in the Anestis et al. () study, thereby positioning our analyses to better address the role of lifetime suicidality in firearm storage practices and views.…”

“…Another possibility is that the current storage practices of this sample differed meaningfully from those in the Anestis et al. () study and, as such, the motivation for and meaning of change may have differed across the groups. For instance, this sample was more likely to endorse storing their firearms in a secure location (81.3% vs. 70.7%) but was also more likely to endorse storing at least one firearm loaded (57.9% vs. 35.7%).…”

“…Given that Anestis et al. () found that the association between current storage practices and openness to means safety was indirect through beliefs about an association between firearm storage and suicide risk, other results indicate that such beliefs may represent a vital target in means safety campaigns. These null findings thus stand in contrast to the findings of others.…”

“…All data were collected and analyzed in 2017, and this sample is entirely independent of the sample utilized in Anestis et al. (). The study itself was not designed specifically to assess firearm owners.…”

“…Approximately 50% of the sample was either “not at all open” or only “somewhat open” to storing their firearms more safely to prevent their own suicide, while 76% reported being at least “moderately open” to safer storage to prevent someone else's suicide. However, firearm owners who currently used unsafe storage practices were significantly less open to store their firearms more safely to prevent their own or someone else's suicide (Anestis et al., ).…”