The Stats
- 550 suicides were reported in Minnesota in 2006. 80% were males. - Minnesota Department of Health, 2008
- 44% of the suicides in Minnesota were a result of firearm injury. 92% of those were males. - Minnesota Department of Health, 2008
- Females are three times more likely to attempt suicide than males. - National Institute of Mental Health, 2003
- Males are four times more likely than females to complete a suicide attempt. National Institute of Mental Health, 2003
- Suicidal crisis is often short-lived and therefore suicides can be prevented. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Suicide rates among children, women and men of all ages are higher in states where more households have guns. Journal of Trauma, 2007
Risk Factors
Research shows that risk factors for suicide include:
- Depression and other mental disorders, or a substance-abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders)
- stressful life events, in combination with other risk factors, such as depression.
- Prior suicide attempt
- Family history of mental disorder or substance abuse
- Family history of suicide
- Family violence, including physical or sexual abuse
- Firearms in the home, the method used in more than half of suicides
- incarceration
- exposure to the suicidal behavior of others, such as family members, peers, or media figures
National Institute of Mental Health, 2003
If someone you know displays any of the above risk factors, remove firearms from the home and store them elsewhere. Use of a firearm in a suicide attempt is much more likely to result in death than are other means. Seek professional help.
What can be done?
Dr. David Hemenway, a professor in the Harvard School of Public Health worked for Ralph Nader in the late 1960s when the consumer advocate was raising questions about auto safety. Hemenway says he's not "anti-gun," just as he is not "anti-car" because he favors laws requiring airbags and seat belts.
"We have not outlawed cars," Hemenway said. "We just outlawed cars that are manufactured without seat belts."
A similar approach can be applied to guns, he said. "I don't think outlawing guns makes sense," he said. "Some people like to hunt with guns. They target shoot. That's fine. Public health says there are lots of things that can be done to lessen the problem of gun violence without banning guns."
The place to start, said Hemenway, is with the establishment of a federal agency to regulate the manufacturing and distribution of firearms, similar to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That agency is responsible for improving the safety of highway motorists and has mandated measures such as collapsible steering columns in cars to protect drivers in crashes.
Such an agency, Hemenway asserted, could require measures such as firearms with childproof safeties and tamper-resistant serial numbers. The agency could also promote new technology, such as "smart" or personalized guns that cannot be fired except by authorized users to reduce unintentional injuries of children and limit the criminal use of stolen guns, he wrote.
Licensing of gun owners and registration of handguns could also be required on a national level, and loopholes that allow firearms to be sold at gun shows and through private sales without background checks should be closed, he added.
"In public health, often things do not happen as fast as you would like," said Hemenway, "but there are steps that can be taken now to reduce gun violence. Look at the tobacco situation. We've had a sea change in the United States for the good. In time, I think we can witness a similar change in the way we safeguard our children and our society against gun-related injuries and death."