Small Arms Mortality: Access to Firearms and Lethal Violence

Konty, Mark; Schaefer, Brian P.

doi:10.1080/02732173.2012.700832

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other global studies have not differentiated between the gender of the victims of gun violence. Moreover, similar to the European findings discussed above, global studies show no conclusive, but varying results, ranging from no significant [ 23 ], to positive [ 28 ] as well as negative correlational [ 39 ] links between firearm availability and violent death by firearms. Although we have not conducted a systematic review of all global studies investigating the link between firearm availability and firearm violence, these varying results in the European context and beyond underline the importance of conducting in-depth, rigorous research that also include other factors relating to socio-economic and cultural factors that determine the context in which firearm violence takes place.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Firearms and violence in Europe–A systematic review

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Higher availability of firearms has been connected to higher rates of interpersonal violence in previous studies. Yet, those studies have focused mainly on the United States, or used aggregated international data to study firearm violence. Whether those aggregated findings are applicable to understanding the phenomenon in continental Europe specifically remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to bring together all studies that exclusively use European data. Methods Nine databases were searched, resulting in more than 1900 individual studies. These studies were assessed on relevance and eligibility for this study, based on their title, abstract and full text. Information on study characteristics, operationalizations of main concepts and study results were extracted from the six eligible studies. Results Four studies assessed the impact of firearm restrictive regulations on the rate of firearm homicides. Two other studies correlated rates of firearm availability and -violence. Results vary: some studies show a clear decline once availability of firearms is restricted, while others indicate a limited effect on only a very specific subgroup, such as female victims, or national guards with weapons at home. Moreover, studies used various operationalizations for firearm availability, thereby decreasing the comparability of findings. Conclusion Empirical research exclusively using European data is still lacking. To increase comparability of future studies, methodological inconsistencies and regional gaps need to be overcome. Assessing how firearm availability can be measured with reliable and valid proxies across countries will be a crucial first step to improve future research on the link between firearms and firearm violence.

show abstract

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Firearms and violence in Europe–A systematic review

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They argued that guns stored in the household raise the likelihood that spousal disputes end lethally, in line with research showing that gun availability selectively impacts nonstranger homicides (Stroebe, 2016) and is the strongest of all risk factors for intimate partner homicides (Spender & Stith, 2018). Konty & Schaefer (2012) using a larger country sample and more control variables did not find effects, and the study by Altheimer & Boswell (2012) showed that effects could be conditional on social and cultural context as they found a positive association in Latin America but a negative in Eastern Europe. This result fits to the fact that the countrylevel correlation between total homicide rates and percentage homicides committed with firearms only exists in the Americas but in no other world region (UNODC, 2014, own computation).…”

Section: Guns and Alcoholmentioning

confidence: 88%

Lethal Violence: A Global View on Homicide

Oberwittler

2019

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As the most serious crime, homicide is both relevant and suitable for cross-national comparisons. The global homicide rate of ca. 6 per 100,000 people is an average of hugely diverging national rates ranging from 0.25 in Singapore to ca. 100 in El Salvador. The validity of global homicide statistics suffers from various differences in definitions as well as reporting and registration processes. Both criminal justice and causes of death statistics are used by the World Health Organization to construct rates, yet these are available only for a minority of countries. An overview on homicide in history and non-state societies shows that violence levels were considerably higher compared to those in today’s developed world and have dropped dramatically in Europe and North America during the early modern period. The rates first increased and then declined between ca.1960 and today in most developed nations in a synchronized manner, hinting at common influences. In recent years, homicide trends have shown a polarizing pattern, with increasing rates in Latin America and decreasing rates in most other world regions, especially East Asia and the Pacific, where rates have fallen below the European average concurrent with rising scores on the Human Development Index. Except in Eastern Europe, the frequency of homicide is strongly linked to the use of firearms, which account for 44% of homicide cases worldwide. Longitudinal studies have produced robust evidence for the pivotal role of deprivation and inequality in fostering lethal violence and of social welfare policies in reducing it. Although the transition to democratic political systems seems to increase homicide rates temporarily, the legitimacy of state institutions and the suppression of corruption are connected to lower homicide rates. Because of conceptual and methodological problems, questions concerning the generalizability of effects across space and time remain. Nevertheless, the research findings are sufficiently robust to draw important conclusions for violence prevention: reductions in poverty and income inequality, investments in welfare policies and gender equality, and improvements in the legitimacy of state institutions will help to bring homicide rates down.

show abstract

“…With a single notable exception (Konty & Schaeffer, ), research in recent years (Hepburn, Miller, Azrael, & Hemenway, ; Kellermann et al., ; Miller, Azrael, & Barber, ; Miller, Azrael, & Hemenway, ; Miller, Azrael, Hepburn, Hemenway, & Lippman, ; Miller, Lippmann, Azrael, & Hemenway, ; Wiebe, ) has consistently shown that home firearm availability is associated with elevated suicide risk. In their comprehensive survey of the literature on gun ownership and suicide mortality, Miller et al.…”

Section: Past Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Firearm Availability and Gun Regulation on State Suicide Rates

Kposowa

Hamilton²,

Wang

2016

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Past studies on suicide have investigated the association of firearm ownership and suicide risk in the United States. The aim of the present study was to build on previous work by examining the impact of firearm storage practices and the strictness of firearm regulation on suicide rates at the state level. Data were compiled from primarily three sources. Suicide and firearm ownership information was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strictness of handgun regulation was derived from figures available at the Law Center to Prevent Violence, and controls were taken from the US Bureau of the Census. Mixed models were fitted to the data. Household firearm ownership was strongly associated with both suicide by all mechanisms, and firearm suicide. Storage practices had especially elevated consequences on suicide rates. Percent with loaded guns and gun readiness increased suicide rates, and strictness of gun regulation reduced suicide rates. Ready access to firearms can make a difference between life and death. Loaded and unlocked firearms within reach become risk factors for fatal outcomes from suicidal behavior. Future research might want to examine ways of obtaining more recent data on individual firearm ownership. This study proposes several policy recommendations for suicide prevention.

show abstract

Small Arms Mortality: Access to Firearms and Lethal Violence

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Firearms and violence in Europe–A systematic review

Firearms and violence in Europe–A systematic review

Lethal Violence: A Global View on Homicide

Impact of Firearm Availability and Gun Regulation on State Suicide Rates

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About