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The presence of a gun makes a conflict more likely to become violent.

The FBI found that in 2013 arguments (such as romantic triangles, brawls fueled by alcohol or drugs, and arguments over money) resulted in 1,962 gun deaths (59.9% of the total). [37] A June 1985 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that “the weapons used [in altercations]… were those closest at hand.” [38] An editorial published in the June 1985 American Journal of Public Health noted, “gun-inflicted deaths [often] ensue from impromptu arguments and fights; in the US, two-thirds of the 7,900 deaths in 1981 involving arguments and brawls were caused by guns.” [39] A 1993 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that “[r]ather than confer protection, guns kept in the home are associated with an increase in the risk of homicide by a family member or intimate acquaintance.” [40]

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