Firearm Homicides in Europe: A comparison with non-firearm homicides in five European countries

Detailed, comparative research on firearm violence in Europe is
rare. Using data from the European Homicide Monitor, this paper
presents the prevalence and characteristics of firearm homicides in
Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland
between 2001 and 2016. Furthermore, we compare firearm to nonfirearm
homicides to assess the degree of uniqueness of firearms as
modus operandi. We find that the firearm homicide rate varies
across our sample of countries. We also identify two country profiles:
in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, most firearm homicides
take place in public and urban areas, involving male victims
and perpetrators. In these countries, the use of firearms in homicides
is largely concentrated in the criminal milieu. In Finland and
Switzerland, firearms are mostly used in domestic homicides, with
a higher share of female victims. We explore these findings in
relation to firearm availability in each country.