Editor:
Should the second Amendment be interpreted by the Supreme Court as the free right to bear arms by all in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller (76 U.S.L.W. 4631 (2008)), this lenient gun legislation will have profound effects on mortality and morbidity. Stricter gun law legislation is associated with reduced rates of both suicides and homicides in Canada, Australia, and Austria.1–3 Loftin et al.4 showed that restrictions in gun access has led to declines in homicides and suicides, while Rosengart et al.5 found that eliminating restrictions on carrying a concealed weapon has been associated with increased firearm homicide rates in the United States. Handgun purchase has been shown to be associated with increased risk of mortality for several years.6
Those with mental illness may be more adversely affected by relaxed gun law legislation. Suicide and homicide have low base rates of occurrence7 compared with the prevalence of mental illness.8 Individuals with mental disorders are as likely as those without to have access to carry or store a gun in an unsafe manner.9 Threats made with guns and other weapons increase with the presence of mental illness.10 At the same time, the rate of violent victimization has been found to outweigh the perpetration of violence.11 The mentally ill will be negatively impacted by relaxed gun law legislation. Policymakers should be well informed of the wide-reaching implications of such changes.
- American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
References
- 1↵Bridges FS: Gun control law (Bill C-17), suicide, and homicide in Canada. Psychol Rep 94:819–26, 2004
- 2Chapman S, Alpers P, Agho K, et al: Australia's 1996 gun law reforms: faster falls in firearm deaths, firearm suicides, and a decade without mass shootings. Inj Prev 12:365–72, 2006
- 3↵Kapusta ND, Etzersdorfer E, Krall C, et al: Firearm legislation reform in the European Union: impact on firearm availability, firearm suicide and homicide rates in Austria. Br J Psychiatry 191:253–7, 2007
- 4↵Loftin C, McDowall D, Wiersema B, et al: Effects of restrictive licensing of handguns on homicide and suicide in the District of Columbia. N Engl J Med 325:1615–20, 1991
- 5↵Rosengart M, Cummings P, Nathens A, et al: An evaluation of state firearm regulations and homicide and suicide death rates. Inj Prev 11:77–83, 2005
- 6↵Wintemute GJ, Parham CA, Beaumont JJ, et al: Mortality among recent purchasers of handguns. N Engl J Med 341:1583–9, 1999
- 7↵Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, et al: Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62:617–27, 2005
- 8↵Borges G, Angst J, Nock MK, et al: A risk index for 12-month suicide attempts in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Psychol Med 36:1747–57, 2006
- 9↵Ilgen MA, Zivin K, McCammon RJ, et al: Mental illness, previous suicidality, and access to guns in the United States. Psychiatr Serv 59:198–200, 2008
- 10↵Casiano H, Belik SL, Cox BJ, et al: Mental disorder and threats made by noninstitutionalized people with weapons in the national comorbidity survey replication. J Nerv Ment Dis 96:437–45, 2008
- 11↵Choe JY, Teplin LA, Abram KM: Perpetration of violence, violent victimization, and severe mental illness: balancing public health concerns. Psychiatr Serv 59:153–64, 2008
