title: Rates of household firearm ownership and homicide across US regions and states, 1988-1997.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study we explored the association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide across the United States, by age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used cross-sectional time-series data (1988-1997) to estimate the association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In region- and state-level analyses, a robust association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide was found. Regionally, the association exists for victims aged 5 to 14 years and those 35 years and older. At the state level, the association exists for every age group over age 5, even after controlling for poverty, urbanization, unemployment, alcohol consumption, and nonlethal violent crime.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although our study cannot determine causation, we found that in areas where household firearm ownership rates were higher, a disproportionately large number of people died from homicide.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass 02115, USA. mmiller@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Azrael
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hemenway
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010067:Ownership / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000401:mortality