Suicides in metropolitan statistical areas/divisions with the highest versus lowest gun ownership levels (BRFSS 2002–2004); mortality data WONDER 1999–2010
| High-gun MSA* | Low-gun MSA† | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population (person-years) | 500 million | 503 million | 1.0 |
| Proportion of households with firearms | 34% | 11% | 3.2 |
| Proportion of population living in city >1 million | 12% | 35% | 0.3 |
| Proportion of population living in city 500 000–1 million | 14% | 3% | 4.1 |
| Proportion of population living in city 200 000–500 000 | 8% | 4% | 2.4 |
| Whole population | |||
| Firearm suicide | 32 081 | 13 545 | 2.4 |
| Non-firearm suicide | 25 623 | 25 485 | 1.0 |
| Total suicide | 57 704 | 39 030 | 1.5 |
| Subpopulations | |||
| Men | |||
| Firearm suicide | 27 546 | 12 060 | 2.3 |
| Non-firearm suicide | 17 722 | 18 149 | 1.0 |
| Total suicide | 45 268 | 30 209 | 1.5 |
| Women | |||
| Firearm suicide | 4535 | 1485 | 3.1 |
| Non-firearm suicide | 7901 | 7336 | 1.1 |
| Total suicide | 12 436 | 8821 | 1.4 |
| Children ages 0–17 | |||
| Firearm suicide | 819 | 261 | 3.1 |
| Non-firearm suicide | 1008 | 705 | 1.4 |
| Total suicide | 1827 | 966 | 1.9 |
*Highest gun ownership metropolitan statistical areas/divisions. Cities: Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Louisville, St. Louis, Richmond, Jacksonville, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Minneapolis, Portland, Austin, Phoenix, Atlanta, Virginia Beach. Person-years 1999–2010: 500 312 623. Weighted average of BRFSS firearm prevalence: 34.2%.
†Lowest gun ownership metropolitan statistical areas/divisions. Cities: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami. Person-years 1999–2010: 502 802 465. Weighted average of BRFSS firearm prevalence: 10.9%.
BRFSS, Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System; MSA, metropolitan statistical area; WONDER, Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research.