HealthDay (7/23, Preidt) reports, “Hundreds of suicides could be prevented in the United States each year if the minimum age for buying a handgun was raised to 21 in the 33 states that have a minimum age of 18,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data on suicides by teens ages 13-20 in the 46 states that didn’t change their handgun sales policies between 2001 and 2017.” The study revealed that “a minimum age of 18 to buy a handgun was associated with 344 extra deaths on average among young people ages 18-20 during the study period,” whereas “a minimum age of 21 to buy a handgun was associated with an 18% lower rate of suicide among those ages 18-20.” The findings were published online July 22 in the BMJ.
Related Links:
— “With Tighter Handgun Laws, U.S. Would See Fewer Suicides by Young People, ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 23, 2020