By The Numbers: 16 September 2024
2/3
The proportion of "military suicide deaths" that result "from self-inflicted gunshot wounds," according to statistics from the Department of Defense cited in an article in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior -- Threat perceptions, defensive behaviors, and the perceived suicide prevention value of specific firearm storage practices.
In any given year, approximately half of all US suicide deaths and approximately two-thirds of military suicide deaths result from self-inflicted gunshot wounds (e.g., Department of Defense, 2023). Since the onset of the unprecedented firearm purchasing surge that began in early 2020, this percentage has further increased, with an 8.5% increase in the US firearm suicide rate from 2020 to 2021 and an additional 3.5% increase from 2021 to 2022, ultimately resulting in firearms accounting for 55% of all US suicide deaths in 2022 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023).
2/3
The proportion of "military suicide deaths" that result "from self-inflicted gunshot wounds," according to statistics from the Department of Defense cited in an article in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior -- Threat perceptions, defensive behaviors, and the perceived suicide prevention value of specific firearm storage practices.
In any given year, approximately half of all US suicide deaths and approximately two-thirds of military suicide deaths result from self-inflicted gunshot wounds (e.g., Department of Defense, 2023). Since the onset of the unprecedented firearm purchasing surge that began in early 2020, this percentage has further increased, with an 8.5% increase in the US firearm suicide rate from 2020 to 2021 and an additional 3.5% increase from 2021 to 2022, ultimately resulting in firearms accounting for 55% of all US suicide deaths in 2022 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023).