Title: Guns and Suicides in the United States

Publication Date: September 04, 2008

What does it say?

Seventy percent of suicide attempters decide to kill themselves on an impulse -- less than an hour before their attempt.  Ninety percent of people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide.  Given these facts about suicide, access to guns likely turns an impulse into a final decision.

How can I use it?

This research summary would be useful as a handout for bills related to access to guns in the home like Child Access Prevention or Childproof Handguns.  On the educational side, it would be a great handout for outreach to health professionals and mental health workers who may not know the facts on access to guns and completed suicide.

Citation

Miller, Matthew, Hemenway, David, “Guns and Suicide in the United States,” New England Journal of Medicine 359:10(September 4, 2008):989-991.

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