One of the largest argument by pro - gun US resident is that have a weapon allows them to protect themselves , their property , and – most significantly – their category . It makes sense ; in the USA there are 120 guns for every 100 people , intend any would - be aggressor is likely to be armed .
Yet , inquiry is systematically showing that condom is not increase by carrying a gun , but decrease . Much like carrying a knife in the UKincreases your chanceof being stab , gestate a accelerator pedal massivelyincreases your chance of being shoot down , and it may place people you dwell with in danger too .
According to new research , published in the journalAnnals of Internal Medicine , Californians that lawfully have a pistol in their home have double the risk of death by homicide compared to those that do n’t . They are also significantly more likely to be shot by a spouse or partner .
“ Protecting oneself and do it ace is often the reason for buying a handgun , but adults ( specially womanhood ) living with a handgun proprietor had a gamy risk for dying by homicide than adult living in households without handguns , ” save the authors .
Building on premature research suggesting gun possession in the home increases the chance of both suicide and becoming a victim of homicide , the researchers from Stanford University want to dig deeply into the relationship . Taking a large cohort of over 17,500,000 grownup aged 21 and over from California , the researcher identified who owned side arm , who lived with handgun owners , and who became victims of homicide .
Over the 12 - class study time period , 737,012 multitude out of the total age group died and 2,293 of those were victims of homicide . Of those , there were twice the number of people had small-arm in their home compared to those that did n’t , suggesting a doubled risk of homicide if you live with handguns . hoi polloi dwell with a shooting iron proprietor were seven times more probable to choke by gunshot from a married person or spouse , and the huge majority – around85 pct – were women . Children also have an increased peril of death in ordnance - owning households , but this was not measure in this study .
Together , the upshot indicate a damnatory finish for the determination to buy a handgun for the safety of fuck ones . The researchers note that they did not include illegal ownership of gun in the study , which may have describe for some of the homicides in homes see shooter - free , and this is something future bailiwick should address .