Firearm Homicides in Europe: A Comparison with Non-Firearm Homicides in Five European Countries
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Non-clinical retrospective comparative registry study (by design analogy)
OpenAlex W4376503620 · doi:10.1080/17440572.2023.2211513
What was done
Researchers analysed data from the European Homicide Monitor covering homicides between 2001 and 2016 in five European countries: Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. They evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of firearm homicides, comparing them directly to non-firearm homicides to determine the specific patterns and uniqueness of firearm use across these settings.
What was found
Firearm homicide rates varied across the five countries. The authors identified two distinct country profiles. In Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden, firearm homicides occurred primarily in public and urban areas, involved male victims and perpetrators, and were largely concentrated within criminal milieus. In Finland and Switzerland, firearms were predominantly used in domestic homicides and involved a higher proportion of female victims. The abstract does not report specific numeric counts, rates, or statistical test values.
Why it matters
This study demonstrates that firearm homicide in Europe is not a uniform phenomenon, showing distinct patterns of public/criminal violence versus domestic violence across different countries that require differentiated policy and prevention approaches.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample sizes, incident counts, rates, or effect sizes. Data are restricted to five countries and cannot be generalized across all of Europe. As a descriptive observational study, it cannot establish causal mechanisms linking firearm availability directly to homicide patterns.
Cited by
- supports Violent crime rates in Scandinavian countries are astonishingly low compared to the United States as a whole, and in particular compared to Texas.