New Studies Show Reducing Youth Access To Lethal Means Can Impact Suicide Rates
Scary fact #1: Nationally, suicide is the second leading cause of death for those aged 10 through 34, the 4th leading cause of death for people aged 35-44, and the 8th cause of death for those aged 55-64.
Scary fact #2: Suicide death rates in New Hampshire are approximately 35% higher than the national rate (19.27 per 100,000 in NH compared to 14.21 per 100,000 nationally). The Granite State ranks 12th in the country for suicide deaths, and while suicide is the 8th leading cause of death across all Granite State residents, it is the 2nd leading cause of death for those aged 10-44.
Access To Lethal Means Is A Key Factor In Suicide Rates
Lois Lee, MD, MPH, in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and Kerri McKie, MD, MPH, in the Department of Surgery, led a study that is one of the most comprehensive state-by-state accountings to date of firearm suicides in children and youth. Data came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Nationally, from 2016 to 2021, there were more than 21,000 firearm deaths among children 10 to 19 years old, of which 36% were suicides.
In 19 states, suicide accounted for more than half of firearm deaths in this age group.
Massachusetts was among the states with the lowest proportion of firearm deaths attributable to suicide in children ages 10 to 19, less than 25%.
In Maine and New Hampshire, as well as Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota, the proportion of firearm deaths from suicide was more than 75%.
According to Lee, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, there are higher rates of firearm ownership in rural states. (According to the Pew Research Center, 46% of adults in rural areas say they are gun owners, compared with 28% of suburban and 19% of urban dwellers.)
"Teens who attempt suicide may not always have a history of depression," says Lee. "Teen suicide is often an impulsive act, so preventing easy access to lethal means, like firearms, is important for suicide prevention."
A fight with parents, or a breakup with a romantic partner can lead to an impulsive suicide attempt, and having a gun on hand greatly increases the chances the attempt will be fatal. "It's not that kids in these states are more likely to have suicide ideation than in other states," says Lee. "It's that they are more likely to be able to access firearms, which are highly lethal.”
In states with high firearm ownership rates, solutions can include:
Secure firearm storage outside the home, such as at gun shops or shooting ranges
Biometric firearm lockboxes or safes accessed only by facial, voice, or fingerprint recognition
States with mandatory waiting periods for gun purchases or laws designed to prevent children from accessing firearms have lower suicide rates than states without such regulations.
Note that states with "stand your ground" laws had higher overall firearm suicide mortality rates and higher rates of suicide deaths than states without these laws. (A “stand your ground” law is a law that allows a citizen to defend themselves by any means necessary when their life is threatened, regardless of whether they could have safely left the situation).*
*Researchers analyzed the correlation between state firearm laws and childhood firearm mortality rates using data from the RAND State Firearm Law Database and the Federal Centers for Disease Control WONDER database. Krista L. Haines, DO, MA, of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, led the study, which was published online on July 11 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
*More information: Kerri A. McKie et al, Variations by State in Firearm Suicide Among US Children and Young Adults, 2016-2021, JAMA Pediatrics (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.1128