Title: Means Matter: Suicide, Guns, and Public Health

Publication Date: January 2009

What does it say?

This new website from the Harvard School of Public Health provides comprehensive resources on the role of guns in facilitating suicide, including key messages, state-specific information, a bibliography, and an online course. The goal of the project is to make it easy for state suicide prevention coalitions to adopt “lethal means restriction” as a key part of their work in preventing suicides.

How can I use it?

Send the website link to suicide prevention organizations in your area and to elected officials serving on committees related to mental health, health care, and injury prevention.  Incorporate the messaging and facts on gun suicide into existing presentations and materials.  The materials can be used in support of any gun control laws aiming to limit access to guns by high-risk users, like background checks, childproof handgun bills and safe storage.

Citation

Harvard School of Public Health, Means Matter: Suicide, Guns, and Public Health, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/index.html.