(PS1-48) Qualitative Perspectives and Considerations of Women Gun Owners

Introduction: Firearms account for more than half of suicide deaths and are the leading suicide method among women. Given historical prioritization of men in firearm suicide research, unique considerations for women gun owners have been understudied as it pertains to intentional and unintentional injury. The goal of the present work is to explore the perspectives of women firearm owners on the underrepresentation of women in this research and their unique experiences compared to men to inform suicide prevention efforts.

Methods: We administered baseline measures and conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 40-women gun owners from New Jersey and Ohio as part of a larger exploratory study. Transcripts were analyzed via thematic analysis using an inductive approach. We were interested in the questions inquiring about why women thought they were underrepresented in firearm research as compared to men and their perspectives about the uniqueness of their experience as a female gun owner.

Results: Several key themes emerged regarding our questions of interest. Regarding reasons why women are underrepresented, the main themes included: firearms being stereotyped or typically viewed as a male activity/male dominated and women felt less welcomed, women were afraid or lacked confidence to own, women didn’t grow up with firearms, women are more covert in their ownership and discussions, women own less due to children in the home, women fear stigma and judgement, men are more proactive in purchasing and owning, women are less violent and therefore, own less, and women don’t need them or lack knowledge. Regarding uniqueness of women’s experiences, attitudes, and practices, the following themes emerged: women facing more danger, owning is more of an intentional choice for women, negative stereotypes about women that they lack knowledge or strength, women research more extensively about firearms, women are afraid of owning which might deter ownership, men are more likely to have previous exposure through activities such as hunting, military, etc., and people don’t associate women with guns as much as men.

Discussion: The present work took a qualitative approach to explore the perspectives of women as it related to underrepresentation of women gun owners and the unique experiences of such owners. Women face different sociocultural experiences than men and understanding these experiences will help to personalize interventions for women. Tangible considerations for this population would consist of affirming the expertise and knowledge that women have about their firearms, validating ownership for personal protection, reinforcing intentional research of and practice with firearms, and encouraging safe exploration with firearms for both women and men.
*can be considered as a poster as well, individual paper would be preferred.