Rutgers study finds knowing someone who died by firearm suicide may not lead to safer gun storage
NEW JERSEY — People who personally know someone who died by firearm suicide may be more aware of the risks associated with having guns in the home, but that awareness does not necessarily translate into safer firearm storage practices, according to a new Rutgers University study.
The study, published in the journal Psychiatry Research, found that firearm owners who knew someone who died by firearm suicide were more likely to recognize the increased suicide risk associated with keeping guns at home. However, they were also more likely to report storing at least one firearm both unlocked and loaded.
Researchers analyzed survey responses from 7,810 adults across the United States, examining their experiences with firearm suicide, access to guns in the home, beliefs about suicide risk and firearm storage practices.
More than one in four participants, or 27.8%, reported personally knowing someone who died by firearm suicide. Researchers also found that people with access to firearms in their homes were more likely to report knowing someone who had died by firearm suicide.
Previous research has linked the presence of firearms in the home to an increased risk of suicide, particularly when guns are stored unsecured. However, researchers said relatively little was known about whether personally experiencing the loss of someone to firearm suicide influenced perceptions of risk or storage behavior.
“Personal experience with firearm suicide appears to increase awareness of the risk, but awareness does not automatically lead to more secure firearm storage,” said Allison E. Bond, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at the Rutgers School of Public Health. “That disconnect is important for suicide prevention. We need to move beyond simply telling people that firearms can increase suicide risk and find ways to make secure storage feel like a practical part of protecting their families and homes.”
Researchers suggested that some firearm owners may understand the general risks associated with firearm suicide while believing they or their families are unlikely to experience it.
Concerns about external threats, including home invasions, may also influence decisions about keeping firearms loaded or unlocked, according to the researchers. However, the study did not directly examine those possible explanations.
The researchers emphasized that the findings show an association rather than a cause-and-effect relationship.
Because the survey measured participants’ experiences, beliefs and storage practices at a single point in time, researchers could not determine whether knowing someone who died by firearm suicide directly influenced their storage decisions or whether the loss occurred before those decisions were made.
The findings suggest that suicide prevention efforts may need to focus not only on increasing awareness of firearm-related risks but also on addressing the practical concerns and beliefs that influence how people store guns in their homes.
