Homicide Rates and Firearm Availability

Abstract

To the Editor.— The article by Finger-hut and Kleinman1suggests a correlation between the availability of firearms and increased homicide rate. However, analysis of the international data presented does not support such a claim. Indeed, when the homicide rates and firearm availability in other countries are considered, no significant correlation appears. Firearms, including automatic weapons, are universally available in Israel, with a relatively low homicide rate of 3.7 per 100 000 population. Switzerland, with universal compulsory military service for all men, issues firearms and ammunition to the extent that virtually every household is equipped with firearms, yet shows an extremely low homicide rate. Countries such as England, Japan, and Australia have reasonably strict bans on handguns with associated low homicide rates, while in many developing countries of Asia such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, where the possession of firearms is punishable by a jail sentence or even death,