Suicide

Facts

• Suicides make up three of five gun deaths in the United States. —Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence
• Firearms are the most common method used in suicides. Firearms were used in more than 50 percent of suicides in 2023. —CDC WONDER
• Since 2021, the overall gun suicide rate has reached near-record highs, while the overall gun death rate, including the gun homicide rate, has decreased. —Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
• Suicide by firearm is almost always deadly—nine out of 10 suicide attempts result in death. —Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence
• Every day, 64 Americans die by firearm suicide—one every 22 minutes. —Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence
• The U.S. gun suicide rate is nearly 12 times higher than that of other high-income countries. —Pew Research Center
• Having access to a firearm triples one’s risk of death by suicide. —Pew Research Center
• The suicide rate among males in 2023 was approximately four times higher than the rate among females. Males make up 50 percent of the population but nearly 80 percent of suicides. —CDC WONDER
• Some groups have disproportionately high rates of suicide. In 2023, the highest rates were among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native people and non-Hispanic White people. —CDC WONDER

Possible Solutions Underway

Lock up guns.

Mental health counseling.

Waiting periods for purchases

• Cooling-off periods are associated with five percent lower firearm suicide rates and modest reductions in total suicide. —Wiley Online Library; PubMed; RAND Corporation; PMC

Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs)

• Also called red flag laws, these allow temporary separation from firearms when someone is at imminent risk of self-harm. Studies link ERPOs to reductions in firearm suicides. —RAND Corporation; PMC; BioMed Central

Secure storage

• Secure storage campaigns and lock distributions promote locked, unloaded storage and address a key modifiable risk. —Prevent Firearm Suicide; PubMed

Community and retailer efforts

• Gun Shop Projects provide firearm businesses with materials and training to recognize suicide risk and promote temporary storage. —Zero Suicide; Injury Prevention; PubMed
• Temporary, voluntary out-of-home firearm storage with trusted third parties can help families act quickly during a crisis. —PMC; BioMed Central
• Means Matter partners with firearm retailers and shooting ranges to promote suicide prevention and safer decisions when someone may be at risk.