Could safeguarding firearms reduce the number of suicides?
Suicide by firearm is a public health problem. Access to firearms, particularly during a time of increased risk for suicide (divorce, loss of a job, etc.), has been identified as a key factor increasing one’s risk of committing suicide. The non-firearm suicide rates, are comparable, indicating that firearm access drives overall suicide rates. Public health experts say ready access to firearms makes it easier for people to act on suicidal thoughts. And a large percentage of suicide attempts that involve guns are successful, compared with those involving drug overdoses.
These numbers are more tragic because suicide is a leading cause of death among young people. And contrary to the conventional wisdom that people who are determined to end their lives will find a way to do so, 90 percent of people who survive suicide attempts do not eventually die by suicide. Some health experts have been working to build awareness about suicide risks among gun owners through education campaigns. The latest research by Matt Miller, a professor at Northeastern University offers one approach by demonstrating that hospital clinicians who provide simple information on gun safety can change behaviours and ultimately save lives.
The most promising evidence-based strategies to reduce access to firearms during a period of high risk are:
(1) temporary relocation of household firearms away from home,
(2) safe storage at home if relocation is not possible,
(3) working with leaders in the gun community to develop and implement messaging about the preceding two strategies that will be acceptable to gun owners, and
(4) increasing screening for and counselling about access to guns by health professionals and other gatekeepers.
Working with gun owners, industry, law enforcement, physical and mental health professionals, and researchers is important in decreasing firearm suicides. A concerted social marketing approach can incorporate firearm suicide prevention into standard firearm safety messaging. Moreover, the entertainment industry can model firearm suicide prevention behaviours. Through these efforts, firearm safety can include suicide prevention in a manner fully consistent.
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Gurbani Gandhi
Originally published at https://www.globalshala.com.