The Cross-national Association of Gun Ownership Rates and Suicide Rates: An Analysis of 194 Nations

Abstract

Objective To estimate the cross-national association between suicide rates and gun ownership rates Method The association is estimated using the largest sample of nations (n = 194) ever employed for this purpose. Three different measures of national gun ownership rates are related to total suicide rates, firearms suicide rates, and non-firearms suicide rates. Results Although gun ownership rates have a significant positive association with the rate of firearms suicide, they are unrelated to the total suicide rate. Conclusions Consistent with the results of most prior macro-level studies, cross-national data indicate that levels of gun availability appear to affect how many people choose shooting as their method of suicide, but do not affect how many people kill themselves.