Urban-Rural Shifts in Intentional Firearm Death: Different Causes, Same Results

Urban-rural differences in intentional firearm deaths in the United States were analyzed. The most rural counties experienced 1.54 times the adjusted firearm suicide rate of the most urban. The most urban counties experienced 1.90 times the adjusted firearm homicide rate of the most rural. Similar opposing trends were not found for nonfirearm suicide or homicide. Firearm suicide in rural counties is as important a public health problem as firearm homicide in urban counties. (54 refs.)