Austrian gun suicide rates before and after the 1997 gun law reform.

European countries should tighten their gun laws as a measure to prevent suicides, according to a new study from Austria. The study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry (September 2007) found that firearm suicides in Austria decreased by 4.7% each year following the introduction of stricter gun controls in 1997.

The gun suicide rate from 1985 to 1997 was an average 3.96 per 100,000 population. By 2005 it had dropped to 2.67 per 100,000.

The 1997 legislation required psychological tests and tougher background checks for handgun ownership, and raised the minimum age to 21. A reason must now be provided before obtaining any firearm. Safe storage requirements and a 3 day ‘cooling off’ waiting period also apply.

This is not the first study to show that stricter gun controls prevent suicides. In the USA, requiring background checks and waiting periods reduced the gun suicide rate among people aged over 55. In Australia, the decline in gun suicides accelerated following comprehensive gun law reform in 1996.