Fed: Widowed & divorced men have highest rate of firearm suicide

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2000
Fed: Widowed & divorced men have highest rate of firearm suicide

CANBERRA, Aug 27 AAP - Widowed and divorced men were the most likely to commit suicide
with a firearm, new figures have shown.

An Australian Institute of Criminology report found that widowed men had the highest
firearm mortality rates, followed by divorced men.

Justice and Customs Minister Amanda Vanstone said she was very concerned about the
number of older Australian men committing suicide with a firearm.

"The number of older men who use a firearm to kill themselves would appear to be one
of Australia's hidden tragedies," she said in a statement.

In 1998, suicides accounted for more than 70 per cent of all firearm deaths and, of
these, men over the age of 65 had the highest mortality rate - nearly all of them from
suicide.

For even older males, the rate of firearm-related suicides was even higher, with men
over 85 years having a firearm suicide rate of 7.22 per 100,000 - six times greater than
the rate of 1.25 per 100,000 for the population as a whole.

"It is heart-wrenching to think that so many in a group of Australians are simply giving
up on life," Senator Vanstone said.

The institute said that of the 328 firearm-related deaths in 1998, 17.4 per cent were
homicides, 6.4 per cent resulted from accidental discharge of the firearm and in 2.4 per
cent, the cause was unclear.

While suicides were more likely to be committed with a hunting rifle, homicides were
more likely to be committed with a handgun.

AAP eg/rs/de

KEYWORD: FIREARMS

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