This week’s edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” describes trends in firearm homicides and firearm suicides in major metropolitan areas, and suggests that while the homicides rates have declined in major Florida cities, firearm suicides have gone up — in some cases by quite a bit.
Between 2006-07 and 2009-10 in Jacksonville, the rate of firearm homicides per 100,000 residents declined from 9.3 to 7.4 among all adults, and from 10.1 to 7.1 among residents ages 10-19. Likewise in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm Beach, firearm homicides declined from 6.3 per 100,000 to 5.6, and from 7.8 among residents ages 10-19 to 5.8. In the Orlando metro area, firearm homicides fell from 5.7 in 2006 to 3.4 in 2009, with no data available for these rates among younger residents. Finally, in the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area, firearm homicides declined from 3.5 per 100,000 to 3.1 during these years for the whole population, yet rose from 3.1 to 3.8 among younger Floridians. This was the only region of the state to see such an increase.
Yet while the rate of firearm homicides in Florida have declined, firearm suicide rates have not. In Jacksonville, the rate increased from 8.1 in 2006-07 to 10.8 in 2009-10; in Miami, from 5.4 to 5.5; in Orlando from 5.9 to 7.1; and in Tampa/St. Pete from 7.8 to 9.1.
These spikes are not insignificant. In Jacksonville, the increase in firearm suicides represents a rise of 39% in terms of total numbers, and 33% in terms of this number per 100,000 residents.
In the Orlando area, firearm homicides rose by 28% in total numbers and 20% in ratio, and in the Tampa area, firearm homicides went up by 24% in numbers and 16% relative to the population. The greater Miami area is the only one measured in Florida to see a relatively mild increase, from 547 firearm homicides in 2006-07 to 580 in 2009-10 — less than a 2% increase relative to population.
According to the CDC report, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all ages nationally, and the third leading cause for persons ages 10-19. Further, rates of firearm suicide remain lower in large metropolitan areas than in the US overall. While residents of large metro areas comprise about half of the US population, they account for just 42% of firearm suicides for all ages and 37% for persons ages 10-19.
