Guns and Suicide

1 Page 1 Guns and Suicide Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for more american deaths than Parkinson s disease, liver disease or In 2017, the most recent year for which data are available, more than 47,000 Americans died by Suicide an average of 129 per The number of Suicide deaths is dwarfed by the number of attempts estimated at roughly million in the United States that same year. More than 10 million american adults reported that they seriously thought about Suicide in The problem is getting worse. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the age-adjusted rate of Suicide in the United States rose by about 30 percent in the last two decades, with increases for almost every age group. The Suicide rate has increased every year for the past The growing Suicide rate in the United States is driven in large part by the lethality and easy accessibility of guns, which in 2017 were used in more than half of About 85 percent of those who attempt Suicide with a gun die; without a gun, about 95 percent Research shows that the impulse of Suicide often is sudden and transitory, and nine of 10 survivors do not attempt again.

2 An analysis of 14 scientific studies found that having access to a firearm triples the risk of death by Suicide . Geography is a strong predictor of the prevalence of gun Those living in rural areas are almost 75 percent more likely to die by firearm Suicide than those in metropolitan areas. Residents of Montana are almost 10 times more likely than those of New York. Residents of Wyoming and Alaska are more than four times as likely as those of California. Firearm Suicide correlates strongly with gender; men are six and a half times more likely than women to die by gun Suicide . The gun Suicide rate also varies widely by age, education level and veteran status. Individuals ages 65 and over are twice as likely as teenagers to die by gun Suicide . Veterans and service members are one and a half times more likely than those who have not served in the military. Differences in firearm Suicide rates are even starker when associated factors are considered together. For example, the firearm Suicide death rate for older men in rural areas is more than 20 times the rate for older women in metropolitan areas.

3 Compared to black men ages 65 and over, older white men have an up to five times higher risk for gun These striking data make it clear that portions of the population are suffering from a Suicide epidemic. However, this epidemic is not restricted to certain demographics gun Suicide rates are growing across age, gender, geography, income, educational status and other factors. More research is needed to find ways to address this growing problem, but one thing seems certain easy access to firearms is a primary contributor to the Suicide epidemic. Guns and Suicide Page 2 KEY FACTS: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2017, more than 47,000 Americans died by Suicide . In addition: million Americans attempted Suicide , and million Americans thought seriously about ending their lives. Lifetime medical and work-loss costs due to suicides and Suicide attempts are estimated at almost $70 billion per year. The rate of Suicide in the United States rose by about 30 percent in the last two decades.

4 There are times more gun suicides each year than gun homicides. Having access to a firearm triples the risk of death by Suicide . Firearms were used in more than half of suicides in 2017. For each 10 percentage-point increase in household gun ownership, the youth Suicide rate increases by more than 25 percent. About 85 percent of those who attempt Suicide with a gun die compared to only about five percent without a gun. The firearm Suicide rate is almost 10 times higher in the United States than in other high-income countries. Americans living in rural areas are almost 75 percent more likely to die by gun Suicide than those in urban areas. Men are times more likely to die by gun Suicide than women. White men are more than seven times as likely to die by gun Suicide as gun homicide. The firearm Suicide death rate for older men in rural areas is more than 20 times the rate for older women in metropolitan areas. Guns and Suicide Page 3 Contents THE LINK BETWEEN GUNS AND Suicide 5 Suicide is the leading cause of violent death in the United States Suicide deaths have increased markedly Most suicides and violent deaths are gun-related Easy access to guns is associated with higher Suicide rates GEOGRAPHY 8 Firearm Suicide is more common in the United States than in other high-income countries States with the highest rates of gun ownership have the highest firearm Suicide rates Metro areas have lower firearm Suicide rates, but rates vary by region GENDER.

5 RACE AND AGE 9 Men are six and a half times more likely to die by gun Suicide than women Firearm Suicide is much more prevalent among white men Older Americans are at a higher risk Increased Suicide rates at midlife leads to a decline in overall life expectancy Gun Suicide deaths are increasing among youth FIREARM-RELATED OCCUPATIONS 12 Veterans have high rates of firearm Suicide First responders also are at risk CONCLUSION 13 APPENDIX 14 Guns and Suicide Page 4 Guns and Suicide Page 5 THE LINK BETWEEN GUNS AND Suicide Suicide is the leading cause of violent death in the United States Suicide is the leading cause of violent death in the United States. In 2017, there were over 67,000 violence-related injury deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the top five causes of violence-related injury deaths that year were firearm suicides (35 percent), firearm homicides (22 percent), Suicide by suffocation (19 percent), Suicide by poisoning (10 percent) and homicide by cutting/piercing (3 percent).

6 Injury death rates vary widely by age. For this reason, demographers often calculate Suicide and most death rates on an age-specific or age-adjusted basis. Age-specific rates equal the total number of deaths observed among a specific age group, divided by the population of the age group and multiplied by 100, Age-adjusted rates weight the observed ( crude ) rate based on a constant underlying age distribution. Age adjusting ensures that differences over time or by geographic areas or other factors are not just a reflection of different age distributions being compared. This report provides statistics on death rates using data from the CDC Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). All death rates are reported as an age-specific rate or an age-adjusted rate based on the 2000 (standard) population, unless otherwise noted. The age-adjusted death rate by Suicide in the United States in 2017 was (per 100,000).10 In 2017, the leading cause of violent death when taking into account both the intent and means of death was firearm Suicide (23,854), followed by firearm homicide (14,542).

7 The rate of firearm Suicide deaths in the United States in 2017 was In comparison, the rate for motor vehicle traffic deaths was , and for homicide deaths, the rate was Guns and Suicide Page 6 Suicide deaths have increased markedly Suicide imposes severe costs on american families and society as a whole. According to the CDC, Suicide and self-injury cost the economy $70 billion a year, and that is just in lifetime medical and work-lost costs alone. In the last two decades, the number of Suicide deaths in the United States has increased markedly. The Suicide rate in the United States rose by about 30 percent, perhaps correlated with increasing economic distress due to mortgage defaults and rising unemployment before and after the recent recession of the early 2000s and the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis. However, a reversal in rates during periods of economic recovery has not been observed. Rather, there has been a secular upward trend in overall Suicide rates across the business cycle.

8 Rates for youth and young adults have increased in more recent years. Data suggest that the increase partly is fueled by the large and increasing number of firearm suicides since the late-2000s. Among all suicides (47,173), over half are by firearm (51 percent). Most suicides and violent deaths are gun-related In 2017, there were nearly 40,000 firearm deaths in the United States. Among all firearm deaths, gun Suicide is the leading cause of death making up more than 60 percent of all firearm deaths. Since the CDC began publishing data in 1981, gun suicides have outnumbered gun homicides every year. Since 2009, the number of gun suicides has been one and a half times higher than the number of gun homicides each year. All FirearmFirearm HomicideAll Motor Vehicle010203040506019811983198519871989 1991199319951997199920012003200520072009 2011201320152017 Number of fatal Injuries (in 1000s)Motor Vehicle, Suicide and Firearm Deaths 1981 -2017 Source: CDC WISQARSAll SuicideFirearm SuicideGuns and Suicide Page 7 Easy access to guns is associated with higher Suicide rates A 2014 review of 14 different scientific studies concluded that having access to a firearm triples the risk of death by Other research has found a correlation between guns and Suicide rates, even when controlling for race and gender as well as other factors associated with Suicide like age, education, poverty, unemployment, serious mental illness and substance There is a positive association between levels of household gun ownership and overall Suicide rates for the entire population, in every age group and for both men and women at both regional and state One study found that for each 10 percent decline in household firearm ownership there was an associated decline in the firearm Suicide rate of 4 Having access to a firearm during a moment of increased Suicide risk, such as a job loss.

9 Increases the risk of completing Research shows that the impulse of Suicide is transitory and that access to guns is a risk factor for whether a Suicide attempt is fatal . The interval between the decision to act and an attempt can be as short as 10 minutes or less, and research shows a substitute to a different method is unlikely when a highly lethal method is unavailable. Among adults who have recently purchased a gun, there is a higher firearm Suicide rate, especially within the first year of a gun The high correlation between access to guns and Suicide rates is closely tied to the lethality of firearms Suicide attempts involving a firearm are far more likely to result in death than an Firearm SuicideFirearm Homicide30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%70%19811 9831985198719891991199319951997199920012 0032005200720092011201320152017 Percent of All Firearm DeathsShare of Suicide and Homicide Firearm Deaths1981 -2017 Source: CDC WISQARSNote: Other types of fi rearm deaths i ncl ude uni ntenti onal , i ntent undetermi ned and l egal i nterventi on.

10 Guns and Suicide Page 8 attempt by any other About 85 percent of those who attempt Suicide with a gun die compared to only about five percent without a GEOGRAPHY Firearm Suicide is more common in the United States than in other high-income countries Firearm Suicide is much more prevalent in the United States than in similar high-income countries. According to a recent study (based on 2015 data), the firearm Suicide rate was about 10 times higher in the United States than in similar industrial In other high-income countries, the 2019 study found that only five percent of overall suicides are firearm suicides, compared to over half in the United States. The firearm Suicide rate in high-gun states ( ) in the United States is nearly 15 times higher compared to other high-income counties ( ). States with the highest rates of gun ownership have the highest firearm Suicide rates Multiple studies have found that high rates of gun ownership are associated with higher rates of firearm Suicide across different states.