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Issues

Suicide

    Suicide

      What is the problem?

      Gun suicide claims the lives of nearly 26,000 people in the US every year. This public health crisis should be addressed to reduce gun violence in this country.

      Though gun violence conversations tend to focus on homicides, nearly six out of every 10 gun deaths in the US are suicides. That’s an average of 71 deaths a day.1Everytown Research analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, Provisional Mortality Statistics, Multiple Cause of Death (accessed September 1, 2024). Average: 2019 to 2023. These deaths can be prevented. Policies and practices that focus on disrupting access to firearms in times of crisis have been proven to reduce firearm suicides.

      If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org/chat to chat with a counselor from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress anywhere in the US.

      Why is it an issue?

      A gun leaves no room for a second chance.

      Firearm Suicide in the United States Fact Sheet

      Most people who attempt suicide do not die—unless they use a gun. Across all suicide attempts without a gun, 4 percent result in death. But when a gun is involved, that figure skyrockets to 90 percent.1Andrew Conner, Deborah Azrael, and Matthew Miller, “Suicide Case-Fatality Rates in the United States, 2007 to 2014: A Nationwide Population-Based Study,” Annals of Internal Medicine 171, no. 2 (2019): 885–95, https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-1324. That second chance matters: the vast majority of people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die from a later attempt.2Robert Carroll, Chris Metcalfe, and David Gunnell, “Hospital Presenting Self-Harm and Risk of Fatal and Non-Fatal Repetition: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” PLoS ONE 9, no. 2 (February 28, 2014): e89944, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089944; David Owens, Judith Horrocks, and Allan House, “Fatal and Non-Fatal Repetition Of Self-Harm: Systematic Review,” British Journal of Psychiatry 181, no. 3 (2002): 193-99, https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.181.3.193. The research shows that the difference between living to see a better day or dying by suicide is often determined by the presence of a gun. Given the unique lethality of firearms as a means of suicide, addressing gun suicide is an essential element of any strategy to reduce gun violence in this country.

      By the numbers

      What are the solutions?

      • Extreme Risk Laws

        When a person is in crisis and considering harming themselves or others, family members and law enforcement are often the first people to see the warning signs. Extreme Risk laws, sometimes referred to as “Red Flag” laws, allow loved ones or law enforcement to intervene by petitioning a court for an order to temporarily prevent someone in crisis from accessing guns.

      • Secure Gun Storage

        Gun owners can make their homes and communities safer by storing their guns securely. This means storing them unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.

      • Waiting Periods

        A waiting period law requires a certain number of days to pass between the purchase of a gun and when the buyer can actually take possession of that gun. This creates a buffer between someone having a suicidal crisis and access to a gun.

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      Suicide

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      Did you know?

      1 in 4 adults know or care about someone who attempted or died by suicide with a gun.

      SurveyUSA, “Results of SurveyUSA Market Research Study #26602,” October 24, 2022, https://bit.ly/3JJuwLY. See question 26. See also Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Gun Violence Survivors in America,” February 1, 2023, https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-survivors-america/.