Contextualizing Homicide-Suicide: Examining How Ecological Gun Availability Affects Homicide-Suicide at Multiple Levels of Analysis

There is virtually no information on the relevance of contextual gun availability for homicide-suicide, or on whether ecological gun availability distinguishes homicide-suicide from homicide-only and suicide-only. This study addresses these gaps in the literature. Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System includes 2,535 homicide-suicides, 28,027 homicides, and 138,948 suicides across 1,584 counties and 50 U.S. states from 2003 to 2015. Results indicated that ecological gun ownership increased state rates of homicide-suicide and amplified the odds of firearm violence against two persons (other and self) relative to one (other or self). The results suggest that limiting gun availability can significantly reduce homicide-suicide.