Citation

Perez Esparza D, Hemenway DA. Inj. Prev. 2019; 25(2): 93-97.

Affiliation

Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042607

PMID

29263089

Abstract

Gun violence has increased in Mexico since the mid-2000s, but little is known about patterns of gun ownership. We examine the size and composition of the privately held urban firearm stock in Mexico, motivations for ownership, and attitudes about gun laws. To this end, a household telephone survey of 1361 adults living in nine Mexican cities was conducted in the summer of 2017. We find that few urban Mexican households contain guns. Most of those who report ownership possess one gun, having purchased it recently for self-defense. Few urban Mexican citizens plan to purchase a gun in the future. Respondents are more likely to believe that crime in Mexico would increase if guns were allowed in more places (ie, workplaces and motor vehicles). Evidence suggests urban Mexico has relative low rates of firearm ownership. Few city dwellers plan on obtaining a firearm in the near future.

© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Language: en

Keywords

firearm; policy; public health; risk factor research; safe community; surveys