Public opinion about guns in the home

Abstract

Objectives-(1) Determine the frequency of gun ownership, acquisition, and transfer; (2) assess gun storage practices; and (3) compare the views of firearm owning and non-owning adults regarding the protective value of keeping a gun in the home. Setting and methods-Over three diVerent time periods (1995, 1996, and 1999) stratified, random digit telephone surveys were conducted in a five county area of metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Five hundred adults (aged 21+ years) responded to each survey. Results-The proportion of Atlanta area households reporting firearm ownership was generally stable over this interval (38%, 40%, and 35% respectively). The percentage of gun owning households containing a handgun (approximately 75%) was stable as well. In 1995, more than half of gun owning households kept one or more guns unlocked; since that time, the trend has been gradually downward. In 1995, 44% of gun owning respondents kept one or more guns loaded, compared with 38% in 1996 and 40% in 1999. A majority of respondents to all three surveys (55%) agreed with the statement "A home with a gun is less secure than a home without a gun, because a gun can be involved in an accidental shooting, suicide or family homicide". Among five home security measures, respondents rated a burglar alarm most eVective, and keeping a gun in the home least eVective. Conclusions-In Atlanta, many households keep a firearm for protection, but they are ambivalent about the associated risks. These findings suggest that education about gun safety should include a discussion of the risks of unsafe storage, and non-lethal alternatives for home security.

Suicide by shooting is correlated to rate of gun licenses in Austrian counties

“…A study of suicides of young men aged between 15 and 24 years in Finland 1988-1995 revealed that 74% of all suicides by shooting were committed with a licensed hunting gun [25]. A telephone survey in Atlanta, USA, showed that although up to 40% of households reported gun ownership, a majority judged the presence of a gun at home as dangerous, as it might be involved in accidental shooting, suicide or family homicide [26].…”

Household Firearm Ownership and Rates of Suicide Across the 50 United States

“…36 Unemployment, poverty, and the inverse of urbanization are ecologic characteristics that have been associated with higher rates of suicide in various studies. [37][38][39][40][41] …”

Storage of household firearms: an examination of the attitudes and beliefs of married women with children

“…Secondarily, we examined beliefs about defensive firearm use because of their relevance to attitudes about firearm storage practices. A primary reason for having firearms in the home, and for keeping them stored loaded and unlocked, is the belief that they can be used defensively in the event of a home invasion [8,9,21,42,43]. The increased time required to load or unlock a firearm can be considered counterproductive to effective defensive use.…”