The Transition to Civilian Life: A Critical Moment for Gun Suicide Prevention Education

Introduction

As part of their military career, service members receive specialized training in using firearms safely and effectively. Secure gun storage practices, important for any gun owner, are familiar to military service members and veterans, as military-issued guns are required to be transported and stored under strict regulations. 

But once they re-enter society as civilians, service members are not always aware of the risks of private firearm ownership. A 2022 survey found that while half of military veterans own guns, most of them do not store all of their guns securely.¹Brandon Nichter et al., “Firearm Storage Practices among Military Veterans in the United States: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey,” Journal of Affective Disorders 351 (April 2024): 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.179. Moreover, veterans with certain risk factors for suicide—including alcohol misuse, depression, and suicidal ideation—are more likely to store their guns unsecured.²Brandon Nichter et al., “Firearm Storage Practices among Military Veterans in the United States: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey,” Journal of Affective Disorders 351 (April 2024): 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.179. And though firearms—a particularly lethal means—triple the likelihood of dying by suicide,³Andrew Anglemyer, Tara Horvath, and George Rutherford, “The Accessibility of Firearms and Risk for Suicide and Homicide Victimization Among Household Members: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Annals of Internal Medicine 160, no. 2 (2014): 101–10, https://doi.org/10.7326/M13-1301. only 6 percent of gun-owning veterans agree that having a gun in the home is a risk factor for it.⁴Joseph A. Simonetti et al., “Firearm Storage Practices among American Veterans,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 55, no. 4 (October 2018): 445–54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.04.014. 

Veteran suicide remains a devastating public health crisis, killing 18 veterans each day, 13 of them by firearm.⁵Everytown Research analysis of US Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, “2001–2021 State Data Appendix,” November 2023, https://bit.ly/2Qblicx. Average: 2017 to 2021. See Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans,” March 7, 2024, https://everytownresearch.org/report/those-who-serve/. Veterans are also three times more likely to die by gun suicide than non-veterans are.⁶Everytown Research analysis of US Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, “2001–2021 National Data Appendix,” November 2023, https://bit.ly/2Qblicx. Veteran and non-veteran crude rates for 2021. See Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, “Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans,” March 7, 2024, https://everytownresearch.org/report/those-who-serve/. The US Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have an urgent obligation to inform military personnel about owning firearms as civilians and what steps they should take to protect themselves and their families. The DOD and the VA must work in collaboration to ensure that service members receive this information during their service and after they become veterans, but one option is clear: The Transition Assistance Program, which is mandatory for all people leaving the military, is a prime opportunity to share this information with new veterans. 

What is the Transition Assistance Program?

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a congressionally mandated program for military service members to prepare them to re-enter society as civilians. TAP supports new veterans in adjusting to their new identity, provides training for the workforce, and informs them about their benefits. The program is primarily dedicated to helping service members leverage the experiences and skills gained in the military to find civilian employment, pursue higher education, or start their own businesses. TAP also provides courses dedicated to mental health, social and emotional adjustments after leaving the military, and community integration, among other topics. 

One thing TAP does not address head-on is gun suicide risk and the responsibilities of firearm ownership. Widespread gun possession among veterans, combined with the growing veteran suicide emergency, make clear the need for education in these areas. The transition to civilian life provides a window of opportunity to do so. Along with the training TAP already offers, the DOD can fill a gap in resources by providing educational materials on these critical topics. 

Recommendations

The DOD should consider integrating resources into TAP on these three topics: 

• Secure firearm storage practices to protect themselves, their families, and their community from suicide risk and unauthorized access. In particular, service members should receive education on the importance of storing their private weapons unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition. 
• Recognizing signs of suicide risk in themselves and others, and steps to take when they notice these signs. Because firearm ownership is a risk factor for suicide, materials should emphasize the importance of adding barriers between someone at risk and their access to a gun. 
• Gun safety laws and regulations to be mindful of, with consideration for the state laws and regulations where they reside. State and federal laws are different from—and often less restrictive than—policies on base. Particularly when service members move from the place where they served, they may be subject to a new, unfamiliar set of firearm laws. 

Resources on firearm safety and suicide prevention in TAP should also leverage the experience and familiarity that service members have with firearms. Military personnel are subject to policies regulating when, where, and how they are permitted to use firearms. Even personally owned weapons are subject to strict regulations at military facilities, some of which have explicit storage specifications for personal weapons. Before service members become veterans, the DOD should reinforce the training that they received in the military, and also ensure that during their service they are familiar with the connection between suicide and firearm access. 

Though the service branches have discretion to waive required courses for certain service members, this curriculum should be considered a lifesaving priority. Educating people about these practices can help prevent veteran suicide and protect service members’ children and other loved ones.