Examination of Firearms Review: 2007 to 2010 - Interpol

place in winter and spring but for homicides there is no specific monthly
predominance. As it pertains to the gender, 72.9% of the homicide victims were
male and in the suicide group 92.9% were males. The mean age of a homicide
victim was 37.9 years and for a suicide victim was 47.2 years. Those ages are
somewhat higher than what was observed in Bari. As for the type of firearms,
single action weapons accounted for 68.3% of all deaths whereas multiple action
guns only played a role in 30.5% of the cases. Most of the injuries (suicide and
homicide) are located on the head (38.6%), the chest (29.3%), the neck (13.4%),
the abdomen (9.3%) and the limbs (9.3%). In suicide cases the anatomical
distribution is as follows: right temple (34.4%), the precordium (20 %), the neck
(16.7%) and the mouth (7.8%). Multiple wounds (25.2% of the cases) are more
common for homicides (57.9%) then for suicides (6%). The authors have also
compared to a previous study in the same geographical area. Apart from a rise in
the number of suicides, the other data stayed relatively equivalent. A series of
sketches nicely illustrates the distribution of the entrance wounds in the cases of
homicide, suicide or accident. As a side note it is interesting to observe the
toxicological results on the victims. The authors furthermore compare the
situation in Brescia to other areas in Italy and on the international level. One
should carefully take into account all cultural and regulatory aspects to be able to
compare different situations but a clear correlation is demonstrated between
social factors, poverty, crime and drug use on the one hand and access to
firearms on the other hand. Gill and Pasquale-Styles give statistical information
regarding firearm deaths by law enforcement over a 4-year period in New York
City (86). Byard et al. compare the characteristic features of paediatric firearm
fatalities between Australia and the United States (87).
Another study by Balci, Canogullari and Ulupinar (88) presents the
characteristics of gunshot suicides. In gunshot fatalities, to determine whether
the cause of death originated by suicide the following information is particularly
valuable: the shooting distance, firearm discharge residues on the hand, the
number and localisation of entrance wounds. The statistical analysis
demonstrates a significant age difference for people committing suicide by
firearm (29.2 ± 12.8 years) and other means (39.7 ± 17.8 years). The percentage
of gunshot suicides decreases as age increases. The percentage of short
firearms is quite comparable to the previously cited studies. The authors
observed a relatively high number of suicides (27.7%) with a shooting distance
from intermediate range around arm reaching distance. A detailed table shows
the relation to the anatomical position of the entrance wounds and the firearm
that was used (either short or long barrelled). 6.1% of the cases showed multiple
entrance wounds. It appeared that the victims were all soldiers with their rifles set
to automatic. The authors conclude that access to weapons plays an important
role in the prevalence of the gunshot suicides.
Also Lorin de la Grandmaison, Fermanian, Aegerter and Durigon have published
a retrospective study, this one regarding the use of long firearms (89). This study
has especially focused on the usefulness of the projectile trajectory as an
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