Question 21 of 24
How many guns are lying around the house?
The short answer
Observational studies, most notably a 2014 systematic review and meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine, find that a firearm accessible in the home is associated with higher odds of suicide, and to a lesser degree homicide victimisation, among household members. These are case-control associations rather than experimental proof, and the underlying literature carries substantial heterogeneity and documented methodological criticism.
Pick one to continue — the dead don't get to skip homework.
More guns than people
💀 A grim little fact
The United States is the only nation on Earth with more guns than humans — about 120.5 firearms per 100 people, nearly double runner-up Canada (34.7). In 2024, 44,447 Americans died by firearm — roughly one every 12 minutes — and most of those (27,593) were suicides.
Here's the bit the action movies skip: simply having an accessible gun at home is linked to about 2x the risk of homicide and 3.2x the risk of suicide for the people who live there. A Stanford study found handgun-owning men were 8x more likely to die by self-inflicted gunshot; women, more than 35x.
~120 guns per 100 Americans — the highest rate on Earth, by a mile.
🔮 Myth vs. Morty
Myth: "A gun in the house makes me safer." Statistically, the person most likely to be hurt by your home firearm isn't a masked intruder — it's you or someone you love, on a bad night or by accident. The heroic self-defense scenario is real but rare; the accidents and arguments are what quietly fill the data.
Morty adds, gently: if the dark nights have been winning lately, please talk to someone you trust or a professional. You're worth more than a number on a bat-covered website.
Sources: Small Arms Survey; Pew Research Center; Anglemyer et al., Annals of Internal Medicine; Stanford (2020) · Entertainment only — not medical advice.
Firearms in the home and mortality risk: what the evidence shows
Last reviewed · compiled by the ExpireOnDate editorial team · not medically reviewed
What the research shows
Pooling 14 case-control studies, household firearm access was associated with an odds ratio of 3.24 (95% CI 2.41–4.40) for suicide.
household members, adolescent and adult studies · mostly United States, plus Australia and New Zealand · systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies · 2014 · Annals of Internal Medicine
Pooling 6 case-control studies, firearm access in the home was associated with an odds ratio of 2.00 (95% CI 1.56–3.02) for homicide victimisation, with a higher relative risk for women than men.
household members, adult studies · mostly United States · meta-analysis of case-control studies · 2014 · Annals of Internal Medicine
Heterogeneity across the pooled studies was high — I² of 89% for the suicide studies and 63% for the homicide studies.
pooled case-control samples · mixed · meta-analysis heterogeneity statistics · 2014 · Annals of Internal Medicine
37% of the included studies were published before 1997, meaning much of the pooled evidence predates recent decades of change in ownership and storage practice.
included studies · mixed · meta-analysis publication timeline · 2014 · Annals of Internal Medicine
What it does not show
These are observational, largely case-control designs, and they cannot establish causation. The documented criticisms are specific: misclassification of firearm accessibility from unblinded proxy interviews in most of the suicide studies, selection bias from HMO or inpatient controls in some, and inadequate adjustment for mental illness in several. Reverse causation is also plausible — acquiring a firearm may reflect an existing perception of danger rather than create the danger.
Every figure on this page describes a population, not a person. Associations measured across thousands of people cannot tell any individual how long they will live, and nothing here is medical advice. If something on this page concerns you, talk to a doctor rather than a comedy website.
References
- The Accessibility of Firearms and Risk for Suicide and Homicide Victimization Among Household Members: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine (2014). primary source; accessed 2026-08-15.
Spotted an error or a better source? Tell us — corrections are logged and the review date updated.