“In the survey by Kleck and Gertz, more than 4% of gun-owning respondents reported a history of DGU within the previous 5 years. In this survey by Anestis et al, 8% of gun owners reported a lifetime history of DGU. Anestis et al. suggest approximately 489 000 DGU events of firing at or in the vicinity of a perceived threat occur each year. But combining with the number of people who either tell a threat about their firearm or show said firearm could raise that number to nearly 1.17 million annual DGU events. As these estimates fall within the previously reported range of DGU debated today, let us presume they represent a reasonable estimate of the benefit of guns.
How can society gauge the risks? Many previous studies have suggested that the harms of firearm ownership may surpass benefits—one study estimated that for every case of a home invader killed by a firearm, 37 suicides occurred. Anestis et al. offer a similar conclusion. Among their survey respondents, having known someone who died by firearm suicide within the past year exceeded the likelihood of DGU by a factor of nearly 2.
A balanced take on the risk vs benefit profile of guns is of paramount importance for anyone, such as a physician, wishing to advise an individual or society at large about firearms. Although firearms may come into play to deter or neutralize perceived criminal activity among civilians, they remain a disproportionate threat to certain groups, such as individuals at risk of self-harm; children and adolescents, for whom firearms are now the leading cause of death; and American Indian, Black, and Native Hawaiian populations who experience disparities from gun violence across the lifespan compared with other demographic groups.”
Full editorial, C Dark, JAMA Network Open, 2025.3.14