This is a descriptive epidemiological study of firearm mortality in Argentina, 1990-2008. The study compared the firearm mortality percentages and rates between the country's jurisdictions. The data are from the Office of Health Statistics and Information, Ministry of Health. From 1990 to 2008 there were 358,484 deaths from external causes, of which 16.6% (59,339) were caused by firearms. The Province of Buenos Aires showed the highest percentage and crude and adjusted rates. The jurisdictions in the Pampeana region (including the Province of Buenos Aires) showed a more homogeneous profile, similar to that of the country as a whole, with an increase in the rates from 1999 to 2002 and a decrease from 2003 to 2006. These findings are partially explained by the country's deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in the late 20th century, with a greater impact on Buenos Aires, one of the provinces of Argentina with the greatest development and economic dynamism. The situation in Buenos Aires was aggravated by the fact that the Province has one of the country's most repressive police forces.
Firearms; Violence; Mortality
