Citation

Anestis MD, Bond AE, Bandel SL. Ann. Am. Acad. Polit. Soc. Sci. 2022; 704(1): 204-222.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/00027162231173321

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Each year, firearms account for half of all the suicide deaths in the U.S. Research has shown that, worldwide, the most effective way to prevent suicide is so-called means safety: making the tools and methods of suicide less accessible and less lethal. In the U.S., research has shown, time and again, that access to firearms increases the risk for suicide death, particularly when firearms are not stored safely. Means safety, therefore, could be a powerful tool in reducing suicide deaths in America, where firearms are highly lethal, widely available, and frequently used within a specific geographic area. For this nation to sustainably lower its suicide rate, the issue of access to firearms is pivotal. We argue for a public health approach to suicide prevention: one that would improve data linkage; promote the effective upstream use of interventions like lethal means counseling and safe firearm storage messaging; and deploy more systematic efforts to identify and understand subcommunities of firearm owners, including those who obtained their firearms illegally. © 2023 by The American Academy of Political and Social Science.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; firearms; means restriction; means safety; secure storage