Title: Firearm legislation and mortality in the USA
Abstract: Cross-nationally, the USA has by far the worst firearm-injury problem among the 24 high-income member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 1 Grinshteyn E Hemenway D Violent death rates: the United States compared to other high-income OECD countries. Am J Med. 2015; (published online Nov 6.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (260) Google Scholar Although the USA has non-gun-related crime rates similar to these other nations, it has much higher rates of unintentional gun deaths, gun suicides, gun crimes, gun homicides, and overall homicides. 1 Grinshteyn E Hemenway D Violent death rates: the United States compared to other high-income OECD countries. Am J Med. 2015; (published online Nov 6.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (260) Google Scholar For example, findings from 2010 show that the USA has 25 times the rate of firearm homicide compared with other high-income countries. 1 Grinshteyn E Hemenway D Violent death rates: the United States compared to other high-income OECD countries. Am J Med. 2015; (published online Nov 6.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (260) Google Scholar The USA also has much higher rates of handgun ownership and weaker gun laws, which seems to be the cause of its gun-related problems. 2 Hemenway D Private guns, public health. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor2006 Google Scholar Firearm legislation and firearm mortality in the USA: a cross-sectional, state-level studyVery few of the existing state-specific firearm laws are associated with reduced firearm mortality, and this evidence underscores the importance of focusing on relevant and effective firearms legislation. Implementation of universal background checks for the purchase of firearms or ammunition, and firearm identification nationally could substantially reduce firearm mortality in the USA. Full-Text PDF
Publication Year: 2016
Publication Date: 2016-04-01
Language: en
Type: letter
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 4
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot