Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Grimsley, Emily A
• Torikashvili, Johnathan V
• Janjua, Haroon M
• Read, Meagan D
• Kuo, Paul C
• Diaz, Jose J

Titel

Transition to Permitless Open Carry and Association with Firearm-Related Suicide

Ist Teil von

• Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2024-04, Vol.238 (4), p.681-688

Ort / Verlag

United States

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Firearm-related death rates continue to rise in the US. As some states enact more permissive firearm laws, we sought to assess the relationship between a change to permitless open carry (PLOC) and subsequent firearm-related death rates, a currently understudied topic. Using state-level data from 2013 to 2021, we performed a linear panel analysis using a state fixed-effects model. We examined total firearm-related death, suicide, and homicide rates separately. If a significant association between OC law and death rate was found, we then performed a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis to assess for a causal relationship between changing to PLOC and increased death rate. For significant DID results, we performed confirmatory DID separating firearm and nonfirearm death rates. Nineteen states maintained a no OC or permit-required law, whereas 5 changed to permitless and 26 had a PLOC before 2013. The fixed-effects model indicated more permissive OC law that was associated with increased total firearm-related deaths and suicides. In DID, changing law to PLOC had a significant average treatment effect on the treated of 1.57 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.09) for total suicide rate but no significant average treatment effect for the total firearm-related death rate. Confirmatory DID results found a significant average treatment effect on the treated of 1.18 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.46) for firearm suicide rate. OC law is associated with total firearm-related death and suicide rates. Based on our DID results, changing to PLOC is indeed strongly associated with increased suicides by firearm.