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Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Fatalities in the United States

NCJ Number
241466
Journal
JAMA Internal Medicine Volume: 173 Issue: 9 Dated: 2013 Pages: 732-740
Author(s)
Eric W. Fleegler, M.D.; Lois K. Lee, M.D.; Michael C. Monuteaux, Sc.D.; David Hemenway, Ph.D.; Rebekah Mannix, M.D.
Date Published
March 2013
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This research examined firearm legislation and firearm-related fatalities in the United States for the period 2007 through 2010.
Abstract
Major findings from this research on firearm-related fatalities and firearm legislation in the United States between 2007 and 2010 include the following: there were 121,084 firearm-related fatalities during the 4-year period, with Louisiana having the highest rate (17.9 per 100,000) and Hawaii the lowest rate (2.9 per 100,000); Utah had the lowest strength of firearm legislation, 0 out of 28, while Massachusetts had the highest, 28 out of 28; and States that had higher levels of firearm legislation strength had lower overall firearm fatality rates, lower firearm suicide rates, and lower firearm homicide rates. These findings indicate that the amount of firearm legislation in a State is positively associated with lower rates of firearm-related fatalities, both overall and for suicides and homicides individually. The findings do not provide an indication of a cause-and-effect relationship, suggesting that further research is needed to define this association. Data for the study were obtained from analyzing all firearm-related deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System for the years 2007 through 2010. In addition, researchers assessed the strength of each State's firearm legislation by measuring their laws against 5 categories of laws; each State was scored 1 point for each of the 28 laws included in the 5 categories. A discussion of factors that may contribute to the association between firearm legislation and rates of firearm-related fatalities is included at the end of the report. Tables, figures, and references