Conversational Building Blocks: Making the Connection Between Firearms and Suicide
For those new to firearm suicide prevention, a focus on firearms in prevention efforts may feel oddly specific or misplaced. After all, people attempt suicide through many different methods, so what makes firearms unique? Much of the public is unaware of the outsized role firearms play in suicide as the most lethal means. Given the often polarizing nature of firearms and suicide, helping stakeholders understand the connection between firearms and suicide is essential for cultivating stakeholder support and buy-in for any FSP effort.
Through their experiences with outreach, members of the FSP Cohort have identified that the following talking points are effective for helping people understand why means matter and, specifically, why firearms — the most lethal means — need to be a focus of prevention efforts:
Everyone is susceptible to extreme stress, and, as a result, suicide. This is true regardless of whether or not someone has a formal mental health diagnosis. Stress is often unpredictable and can result from events in an individual’s life like the loss of a job, divorce, or the death of a family member or friend.
When people are in crisis, we should seek to restrict their ability to harm themselves. According to the 2020 Missouri Firearm Survey, 75% of Missourians indicated they would take steps to prevent a household member they perceived to be suicidal from accessing guns in the home. Additionally, 70% said they would secure any dangerous medications. These findings suggest that most (at least in Missouri) are willing to take preventive measures to protect loved ones from harming themselves during suicidal crisis. [1]
Firearms are, by far, the most lethal means of suicide. Nearly 9 in 10 suicide attempts by firearm are lethal, meaning there are almost no second chances. Conversely, overdose and cutting, while far more prevalent, are fatal less than 5% of the time. Altogether, firearms are used in roughly 5% of attempts but account for 50%-60% of completed suicides — more than all other means combined. [2]
The majority of people who survive suicide do not go on to die by suicide. Approximately 90% of those who attempt suicide and live do not go on to die by suicide later in life. This dispels the misconception that people “will just find another way.” [3]
Firearms are ubiquitous in the United States. While exact firearm ownership rates are hard to determine, with an estimated 474 million firearms on the market in 2021, [4] it’s reasonable to assume most people are capable of accessing a firearm – either by owning one themselves or knowing someone who owns one, or having the ability to purchase one.
While these points provide a strong foundation for conversations with new stakeholders, what most resonates will differ from person to person based on how their personal identities intersect with the issue of firearm suicide. Tailoring the conversation based on the person or stakeholder group will only help to further build understanding and support for FSP.
References
[1] Missouri Foundation for Health. (2023). Firearm Suicide Beliefs and Practices: A Missouri Firearms Survey Report. https://mffh.org/publications/missouri-firearms-survey-reports/
[2] Conner, A., Azrael, D., & Miller, M. (2019). Suicide Case-Fatality Rates in the United States, 2007-2014: A Nationwide Population-Based Study. Annals of Internal Medicine 171:885-895. doi: 10.7326/M19-1324
[3] Owens, D., Horrocks, J., and House, A. (2002). Fatal and non-fatal repetition of self-harm. Systematic review. British Journal of Psychiatry, 181:193-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.181.3.193
[4] Mascia, J., and Brownlee, C. (2023). “How Many Guns are Circulating in the United States?” The Trace. https://www.thetrace.org/2023/03/guns-america-data-atf-total/