Firearms and the Lethality of Suicide Methods

• In Event: Gun Possession and Its Consequences

Abstract

What would happen to suicide rates if gun control laws succeeded in making firearms unavailable to some violence-prone persons? Recent evidence suggests that possession of firearms has no effect of the likelihood of people attempting suicide. Therefore, the most likely effect of gun availability is that it could make it more likely a suicide attempt would be fatal. Gun use appears to make assaults more lethal, so it is reasonable to expect the same with suicide attempts. This paper reviews the evidence on the method most likely to be substituted in suicide attempts if firearms were not available, and on the relative lethality of the method compared with suicide attempts by shooting.

Author

• Gary D. Kleck, Florida State University