Three Cases of Fatal Firearm Use Following External Hinge Removal from Locked Gun Cabinets

• NCJ Number: 172022
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 42 Issue: 5 Dated: (September 1997) Pages: 956-957
• Author(s): B M Huston; H D Germaniuk; A K Sidler
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 2 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes three cases where a firearm was obtained from a locked gun cabinet by removing external door hinges with a screwdriver.

Abstract

In two suicides and a double homicide, firearms were quietly obtained from commercially manufactured locked gun cabinets by removing the door hinges, which were located on the outside of the cabinet, with a screwdriver. These cases were obtained from the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office in New York; they occurred between January 1990 and March 1993. No other similar cases are reported in the literature. The article proposes that the construction and design of gun cabinets may be a risk factor for homicide and suicide independent of whether the cabinets are locked because, as the cases demonstrate, firearms can be obtained quietly and easily from locked cabinets. Until further data are available, proper construction of gun cabinets should include internal door hinges. References