Guns Purchased For Protection
Americans are purchasing guns for protection at an increasing rate in recent years. The Pew Research Center found a 22% increase in gun purchases for protective use between 1999 and 2013. In 1999, just about half (49%) of gun owners used their firearms for hunting, while about a third of people (32%) owned guns for protection. The statistics have almost flipped since then. As of 2013, gun owners cite protection as the biggest factor in purchasing a gun [1]. The rates of gun ownership for protection are only increasing. In a 2017 study, 88% of Americans said they purchased handguns for self defense [2].
Then it must be the case that firearms would be used more for protection than ever before, right? No. Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey shows that, of those victimized by contact crimes, 0.9% (127 of the 14,000 incidents) used their guns [3]. Of that statistic, a majority of those who actually took protective action with their firearm were unsuccessful and about 4 in 10 people (38.5%) who used their guns against assailants were not successful in attempting to protect their property.
So if people are purchasing firearms for protection but rarely using them as such, what are they being used for? One answer is suicide. Between 2001 and f2017, 638,467 people have committed suicide in the United States. The CDC estimates that over half (51.3%) of those who committed suicide between 2001 and 2017 used a firearm. In other words, 327,248 people killed themselves with a gun over 16 years [4]. A study published by the Annals of Internal Medicine found that access to firearms correlated with increased risk for completed suicide. Similar to the CDC’s estimates, over half (51.8%) of those who committed suicide in 2009 had access to a firearm, with most suicides (76.4%) taking place in the victim’s own home [5]. In other words, over half of the 76.4% of people who committed suicide in their own home were gun owners in 2009.
Having access to guns also increases the likelihood for deadly domestic violence. A study published by Am J Public Health found that women are 5 times more likely to be killed by their abuser if their abuser has access to a gun [6]. In a different study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that around 67% of spouse and ex-spouse homicide victims between 1980 and 2008 were killed with firearms [7]. Instead of being used for protection, access to guns increases the likelihood of domestic violence resulting in death.
Despite purchasing guns for protection of one’s family, access to guns increases the chance for children to experience detrimental harm. A study published by the Journal of Trauma Injury, Infection, and Critical Care found “a significant association between gun availability and state level rates of unintentional firearm deaths, homicides, firearm homicides, suicides, and firearm suicides among children” [8]. From 1997 to 1998, 6,817 children 5 to 14 were killed with firearms in the United States, according to the study. Simply having access to firearms in the household increases the risk for unintentional deaths among children. Guns are not only failing to protect families, they are killing loved ones.
Although Americans are claiming that protection is the biggest factor in purchasing a firearm in recent years, less than 1% of gun owners involved in a contact crime actually use their firearm. Even when used, nearly one third of people are unsuccessful in defending their property. Although protection may seem like a valid reason to purchase a gun, it is rare that gun owners use them. Simply having access to a gun often results in negative, unintended consequences. Suicide rates, deadly domestic violence rates, and unintentional deaths among children are all increased with the presence of a firearm. Guns do not protect people against crime and increase the likelihood of unfortunate, deadly events occurring.
So what’s next? We invite the reader to contact their legislators to uphold stronger gun control laws and continue to create legislation to regulate the domestic use of firearms. The reader can locate and contact legislators at the federal, state, and local levels via this link: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. We also urge the reader to investigate other sources for information on gun control and disarmament campaigns. The United Nations Office For Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is a United Nations organization with the goal of general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control. More information on UNODA and how this organization is working towards its goal can be found here: https://www.un.org/disarmament/. Every year since 2003, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) dedicates a week long advocacy campaign called The Global Week Against Gun Violence to advocate collectively for an end to illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons. This year (2019) the event will occur from June 2- June 9. More information about IANSA and how to support their campaign can be found on their website: https://www.iansa.org/.
References
[1] “Why Own a Gun? Protection Is Now Top Reason”. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. December 12, 2014. https://www.people-press.org/2013/03/12/why-own-a-gun-protection-is-now-top-reason/
[2] Moyer, Melinda Wenner. “More Guns Do Not Stop More Crimes, Evidence Shows”. Scientific American. October 01, 2017. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-guns-do-not-stop-more-crimes-evidence-shows/?redirect=1.
[3] Hemenway, David and Solnick, Sara J. “The Epidemiology of Self-Defense Gun Use: Evidence from the National Crime Victimization Surveys 2007–2011”. Preventive Medicine, Vol. 79; October 2015.
[4] CDC Statistics on Suicide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://webappa.cdc.gov/cgi-bin/broker.exe.
[5] Anglemyer A, Horvath T, Rutherford G. “The Accessibility of Firearms and Risk for Suicide and Homicide Victimization Among Household Members: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:101–110. doi: 10.7326/M13–1301.
[6] Campbell, J. C. Webster, D., Koziol-McLain, J., Block, C., Campbell, D., Curry, M. A., … Laughon, K. (2003). “Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: results from a multisite case control study”. American journal of public health, 93(7), 1089–1097. doi:10.2105/ajph.93.7.1089.
[7] April Zeoli, et al. “Analysis of the Strength of Legal Firearms, Restrictions for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence and Their Association with Intimate Partner Homicides”. American Journal of Epidemiology, (2017).
[8] Miller, Matthew & Azrael, Deborah & Hemenway, David. (2002). “Firearm availability and unintentional firearm deaths, suicide, and homicide among 5–14 year olds”. The Journal of trauma. 52. 267–74; discussion 274.
