SAFE HOMES™ creates a network of parents and community working together to encourage proper storage of firearms and prescription medication. Limiting access is one of the best strategies for reducing the risk of suicide as well as accidental death.

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Overview: Suicide was the 10th leading cause for death in the US in 2017 (SPRC data), and the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34 (CDC Data).

Our home is a place where we are meant to feel safe and secure. Sadly, about three-quarters of suicide incidents occur at home. Most (85%) die at the scene and never make it to the hospital (NVISS data).

Risk Factors for Suicide from the SPRC:

Risk factors are characteristics of a person or his or her environment that increase the likelihood that he or she will die by suicide (i.e., suicide risk).

Major risk factors for suicide include:

• Prior suicide attempt(s)

• Misuse and abuse of alcohol or other drugs

• Mental disorders, particularly depression and other mood disorders

• Access to lethal means

• Knowing someone who died by suicide, particularly a family member

• Social isolation

• Chronic disease and disability

• Lack of access to behavioral health care

• Risk Factors Can Vary Across Groups

What are lethal means and why is limiting access so important? Lethal means are Implements, substances, weapons, or actions capable of causing death in a person with suicidal ideation (e.g., medications, firearms, sharp objects). Many suicides take place during a period of crisis, as most people who die by suicide in the US did not make a previous attempt. Among those who survive, 90% will NOT go on to die by suicide later in life. Reducing access to lethal means can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.

Limiting Access to Firearms: 30% of Americans own a gun, and two-thirds of American gun owners keep a firearm for protection. Sadly, two-thirds of all gun deaths in America are the result of suicide, and firearms are used in more than half of the suicides that take place in America (Pew Research Center Survey). Additionally, firearms were only used for defense in 0.09 percent of crimes according to a recent Harvard University analysis of figures from the National Crime Victimization Survey. With that data in mind, it is much more likely that a person in crisis will use a firearm for suicide than need it for protection. Gun owners are not more likely to attempt suicide, but those with access to a firearm are much more likely to die by suicide. For that reason, it is imperative to limit access to a firearm during times of increased risk when an individual is in crisis.

Even if a gun owner is not at risk for suicide, secure firearm storage is important for multiple reasons. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34, and according to a recent study, 80% of children in America who die by suicide use a gun belonging to a family member. (Johnson RM, Barber C, Azrael D, Clark DE, Hemenway D. Who are the owners of firearms used in adolescent suicides? Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 2010;40(6):609–611. Study defined children as under 18)