Who Do Service Members Trust? A Mixed-Methods Investigation of When and to Whom U.S. Army Service Members Will be Honest About Their Privately Owned Firearms

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated anticipated honesty in disclosing private firearm ownership and storage practices to specific military personnel (e.g., peers, supervisors, chaplains). METHOD: In the current mixed-methods investigation, we surveyed 302 U.S. Active-Duty Army service members, asking if they would be honest (yes/no/it depends) about their personal firearm ownership with other service members, immediate supervisors, behavioral health providers, and chaplains. Chi-square analyses identified participant characteristics associated with whether soldiers would be honest (yes/depends/no) if these individuals inquired about private firearm ownership. We then asked service members with whom they would feel most comfortable discussing firearm storage practices. RESULTS: The majority of participants reported they would be honest about personal firearm ownership with another soldier (72.5%), an immediate supervisor (82.5%), a behavioral health provider (86.8%), and a chaplain (87.1%). However, soldiers reported feeling most comfortable discussing firearm storage practices with their peers (67.2%). Service members who did not use any secure storage methods were less likely to be honest about owning a private firearm with their supervisors, behavioral health providers, and chaplains. Trust in the specific personnel and their intent for inquiring about firearms were primary factors for conditional responses. CONCLUSION: The present study found that most participants reported that they would be honest with various trusted military personnel about their personal firearm ownership, although those who did not use secure storage practices reported less honesty across personnel groups. Fellow service members may be particularly effective messengers for promoting secure firearm storage in military suicide prevention efforts.