Honor ideology and private firearm ownership in US active-duty soldiers.

Objectives: This study investigated whether honor ideology, or a belief that one's reputation must be defended at all costs, is related to firearms ownership in soldiers.

Methods: N=301 active-duty soldiers completed online self-report measures in this cross-sectional study.

Results: Honor ideology was higher in soldiers who privately own a firearm compared with those who do not currently own and do not plan to after military separation. Higher honor ideology was correlated with a disbelief that private firearms ownership is related to soldier suicide risk. Levels of honor ideology were equal in soldiers who own a private firearm for protection versus other reasons (eg, hunting, maintaining a collection).

Conclusions: Honor ideology may be related to suicide risk through increased likelihood of owning a private firearm and disbelief in private firearm ownership being related to one's own suicide risk in soldiers. Honor ideology could be relevant to consider when means safety initiatives are developed for active-duty military personnel.