Mike Levin: “a study by the Harvard School of Public Health brings to light disturbing information about the presence of firearms in…”

“a study by the Harvard School of Public Health brings to light disturbing information about the presence of firearms in a home. The study conducted by Drs. Matthew Miller, Deborah Azrael, and David Hemenway entitled ``Household Firearm Ownership and Suicide Rates in the United States'' concluded that in states where gun ownership levels are higher, a disproportionately large number of people commit suicide. According to the study, of the more than 30,000 suicides in 1998, 57 percent involved the use of a firearm. In states with more guns, people were more likely to commit suicide. The study found that in States with a higher incidence of gun ownership people were 1.6 times more likely to commit suicide than people in states with a lower incidence of gun ownership. Further, the Harvard study shows that people 15-24 years old from states with a high incidence of gun ownership are more than four times more likely to commit suicide than people the same age in states with a low incidence of gun ownership. According to statistics cited by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in 1998, more than 1200 children aged 10-19 committed suicide with firearms. Nearly two-thirds of all completed teenage suicides involve a firearm. One step that can be taken to reduce suicides among children is to prevent easy access to guns for children. I cosponsored Senator Durbin's Child Access Prevention Act because it would do just that.”