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Abstract
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Firearm death rates vary widely between states, as do the strength of their firearm laws. The overall death rate from firearm injury in 2015 was 11.3 per 100 000; rates in the contiguous 48 states ranged from a low of 3.1 in Massachusetts to a high of 20.4 in Kentucky. If the upward trend in deaths from firearm injury in the United States is to be reversed—there were 7.9% more deaths in 2015 than in 20141–then the death rates in each state must decrease.
In this issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, Kaufman and colleagues report an innovative and comprehensive study on the association of firearm laws in one state on firearm death rates from homicide and suicide in neighboring states. The study analyzed data by county (3108 counties in the 48 contiguous states), and the effects of firearm laws were assessed both within the state and for neighboring states.
For suicide, the main findings were that strong state firearm laws were associated with lower suicide rates for counties in the state, regardless of the strength of the laws in neighboring states. Counties in states with low- or medium-strength laws had higher firearm suicide rates, also regardless of the strength of laws in neighboring states. As firearm suicides typically involve lawfully purchased guns that are used by the owner or a member of the owner’s family, the lack of an association with the strength of laws in neighboring states is not surprising.
For homicide, the highest rates were for counties in states with the weakest state laws, and when neighboring states also had laws of low or medium strength. In contrast, counties in such states had lower rates of firearm homicide when neighboring states had strong laws. Firearms frequently move across state lines, and crimes in one state may involve those from another state...
Language: en |