Firearm Homicide in Pregnant Women and State-Level Firearm Ownership

How do pregnancy-associated firearm homicide rates vary across states and are they associated with state-level firearm ownership?In this cross-sectional study performed from 2018 to 2021, pregnant women experienced a 37% higher firearm homicide rate than nonpregnant women. In adjusted models, every 1% increase in state-level firearm ownership was significantly associated with a 6% increase in all-cause and 8% increase in firearm-specific homicide rates in pregnant women.This study’s results suggest an urgent need for focused state-level interventions to protect maternal safety.

Corresponding Author: Ayesha Dholakia, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (ayesha.dholakia@childrens.harvard.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.