Firearm Suicide
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the connection between firearms and suicide?
When firearms are involved in suicide attempts, the results are fatal. 9 in 10 suicide attempts with a firearm result in death, even though firearms account for fewer than 5% of suicidal acts. In contrast, only about 4% of suicide attempts not involving firearms result in death. Nationally, the vast majority of firearm fatalities are due to suicides (58.4%), accounting for nearly 6 in 10 firearm fatalities, totaling approximately 27,000 fatalities in the US each year.
Consider the following:
- Access to a firearm in the home increases the risk of suicide by more than threefold
- Half of suicide attempts take place within 10 minutes of the current suicide thought, so easy firearm access is a major risk factor
- 9 in 10 people who attempt suicide and survive will not die by suicide at a later date
- The rate of firearm suicide is two times higher in rural areas than in urban areas
- The annual U.S. firearm suicide rate increased approximately 11% from 7.3 per 100,000 during 2019 to 8.1 during 2022, the highest documented level since at least 1968
Which Communities are Most Vulnerable?
Men in general are the most vulnerable to firearm suicide, with Military Veterans most at risk. Unfortunately, more and more racial and ethnic groups are experiencing alarming rates of firearm suicide that can be connected to increased firearm ownership. Consider the following:
- Military Veterans are most vulnerable, 74% of Veterans who die by suicide die from a firearm
- In general, males account for 87 percent of all firearm suicide victims; they are nearly 7 times more likely than women to die by firearm suicide (CDC)
- Alarming trends show the firearm suicide rate among Black and Latino young people (ages 10-19) surged from 2014 to 2023, tripling among young Black people and nearly doubling among young Latino people.
It’s clear that men, especially older men, and men living in rural areas have a very high rate of firearm suicide. However, given increases in firearm purchases and with more and more populations owning firearms, the demographics are quickly changing.
How come I don’t hear more about firearm suicides in the U.S.?
Culturally, the topic of suicide has not been openly discussed due to issues of stigma and emotional discomfort as common reasons for avoiding public conversations. In addition, the relationship between access to firearms and suicide has historically been poorly understood, despite ample data connecting the two. Most people see suicide as a matter of individual behavior, unconnected to firearm access. And, news stories about firearm suicide appeared far less frequently than coverage of other firearm issues.
What has been done to address firearm suicide?
Over the last decade, there have been more and more innovative approaches to preventing firearm suicides in the United States. Promising and effective approaches include:
- Temporary off-site storage of firearms at a firearm dealer or ranges
- Integrating suicide prevention into firearm safety instruction
- Safely storing firearms within the home for a firearm owner in crisis, and to prevent children and teens from accessing firearms
- Educating family, friends, hunting buddies, and fellow Veterans about the warning signs of suicide and how to intervene
What more can be done to address firearm suicide?
Public and private behavioral health systems could do more by integrating firearm screening protocols into their assessments of patients and clients who are suicidal. While there may be some systems that are currently doing this, Hope and Heal Fund is uncovering that in California, this type of screening does not appear to be part of behavioral health systems. As firearms are by far the most lethal means of suicide attempts, there is an enormous opportunity to save lives and greatly decrease firearm suicides in the United States. Hope and Heal Fund, working with the California Institute of Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS) and other behavioral health specialists, has developed a ‘Decision Tree’ for systems as a big step forward to develop permanent protocols.
What are the data gaps, and what does the existing data on firearm suicide tell us?
The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) is considered the best system for firearm death information in the United States. This information is available on a county-by-county basis. While this information is useful, some counties do not report their data, or in order to maintain privacy, some counties do not report smaller numbers of firearm suicides. For example, in California, only 34 of 58 counties are reporting firearm deaths, which leaves massive data gaps. CDC data is reported on a state-by-state basis, and while helpful, the data does not help to localize strategies within a state.
How does firearm suicide intersect with other forms of firearm violence?
Firearm suicide is connected with homicide and domestic violence. Murder-suicides are a common form of firearm violence in the United States, with an estimated 10 such incidents each week. It is also estimated that nearly 1,200 Americans die in murder-suicides each year, and approximately 90% of these deaths involve a firearm. And, in nearly two-thirds of all murder-suicides, an intimate partner of the shooter is among the victims.