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Craig J. Bryan, Psy.D., of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah and colleagues examined the firearm storage practices of 1,652 active-duty military personnel who were seen in military primary care clinics between July 2015 and August 2018. They used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to ask participants about firearm ownership and defined safe storage as keeping firearms locked up and unloaded. They used the Self-injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview to assess participants’ lifetime history of suicidal ideation and attempts and item 9 of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to assess whether the participants had thoughts of death or self-harm in the preceding two weeks.
Of 1,652 study participants, 590 (36%) reported a firearm in or around their home. The researchers found that participants who had recent thoughts of death or self-harm were 39% less likely to have a firearm in the home than participants who did not have such thoughts. However, among all participants who reported keeping firearms in the home, those with a lifetime history of suicidal ideation were 53% less likely to store their firearms safely than those with no such history, and those with recent thoughts of death or self-harm were 74% less likely to store their firearms safely.
“This highlights the importance of emphasizing safe storage of personally owned firearms, including temporary removal of access to firearms for high-risk personnel,” the researchers wrote. “Further research focused on firearm availability and storage practices among military personnel is warranted.”
For related news, see the Psychiatric News article “How to Reduce Risk of Suicide by Firearms.”
(Image: iStock/victorass88)
