Gun Laws Help Lower Suicides, not Murders, Among Children

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 12, 2024 -- Restrictive gun laws can decrease suicide rates among children and teenagers, but they don’t seem to lower their risk of being murdered, a new study says.

States with laws requiring safe storage of firearms and mandatory waiting periods had lower suicide death rates among kids younger than 18, researchers report.

However, no gun laws appeared to lower children’s risk of being murdered by a firearm, even those that prohibit access for people at risk of harming themselves and others, result show.

“It was surprising to me that no laws appear to be impacting the rates of homicide in children, not even safe access,” said lead researcher Dr. Krista Haines, an assistant professor of surgery and population health sciences at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. “It’s sad and shocking.”

For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 17,000 child firearm deaths that occurred between 2009 and 2020, including more than 6,700 suicides and more than 10,200 murders.

They compared 36 different state-level firearm laws to see if any appeared to reduce or increase the risk of suicide or homicide for children.

The analysis “suggests that we do actually have some laws that work,” Haines said in a news release.

“But there are very few of these laws, and they only appear to work for suicide, not for homicide,” she continued. “Our study clearly points to a need for more laws and controlled access to these guns, especially given the high rates of death among children in the United States.”

Interestingly, “stand your ground” laws that protect people who use guns in self-defense appeared to increase children and teens’ risk of suicide, researchers found.

Laws setting minimum ages for possession or purchase of firearms did not significantly reduce suicide death rates, results show.

The U.S. accounts for more than 90% of child firearm deaths worldwide, researchers said in background notes. More studies are needed to understand the risk to kids, they argue.

“This is a very early study, and we need to continue to use this kind of research to advance better policies,” senior researcher Dr. Suresh Agarwal, chief of trauma, acute and critical care surgery at Duke University, said in a news release. “What we have in place now has limited impact, particularly with regard to homicides.”

The new study was published July 11 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Sources

  • Duke University, news release, July 11, 2024

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2024-07-12 23:15

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords