Gun Safety Is Suicide Prevention

Earlier this summer, I was watching the Mets beat the Yankees and that made me happy. But what really got my attention was a public service announcement from a campaign called End Family Fire (that's one of their ads above, as well). Before reading any further, please watch it (it's only 30 seconds):

Powerful stuff. It does what the best ads do: resonates emotionally, conveys key messages succinctly, and includes a call to action. In just half a minute, we learn that:

• 90% of suicide attempts involving a gun are fatal;
• It's often hard to know when someone is in crisis;
• Suicide is a key issue for military and veteran communities; and
• Safe firearm storage is an important element of suicide prevention.

Suicide prevention traditionally relies on things like hotlines, mental health counseling, and peer supports. They are all necessary and should be supported. But if we want to prevent veteran suicides, we must address guns too. Here are some more facts:

• While New York State has one of the lowest suicide rates in the country, its veterans die by suicide at almost double the rate of their civilian counterparts.
• Veterans account for more than 1 in 10 suicides across New York.
• Gun ownership increases the likelihood of firearm-related suicide, especially among veterans.
• Veterans have a drastically higher rate of gun ownership, with approximately 50% of veterans reporting owning a firearm, compared with 30% of their civilian counterparts.
• Firearms are the most lethal method of suicide; about 90% of those who use firearms as a method of suicide die, compared with 5% of those who used other methods of suicide.
• Nationally in 2021, two-thirds of veteran suicides involved a firearm, compared with about half of suicides among the general population.

We are taking action. New York organizations and coalitions are training veterans' families and caregivers on reducing immediate access to firearms and other lethal means. They've adapted a proven model (known as CALM, or Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) - initially designed for health care clinicians working with patients at risk of suicide - and tailored it for the people closest to veterans who may be best positioned to intervene in a moment of crisis.

With input from family members affected by veteran suicide, the Bronx Veterans Medical Research Foundation - along with members of the New York State Governors Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans and Families - developed a comprehensive website called Worried About a Veteran. It shares some of the CALM training elements, along with resources on how to identify suicide risk, how to get help, how to start a conversation about safe storage (including tips to figure out who the right person is to have the conversation), options for safe storage, and when to return firearms.

As more communities begin to implement modified CALM trainings and similar programs, the University of Rochester Medical Center is working with 26 counties across New York State to assess how different suicide prevention programs can complement each other and best meet the needs of veterans and their families.

As with just about everything, it's crucial to understand your audiences. The best programs are designed in close collaboration with firearm-owning veterans and family members. When they listened, CALM program organizers heard concerns from potential participants about whether their firearms might be confiscated by government-affiliated organizations. As a result, every session includes a trainer who owns a firearm and has served in the military or law enforcement. Engaging trusted messengers is essential to the program's success.

Maybe all this work is starting to pay off. Here's a good news statistic: After years of sustained increases in the use of firearms in veteran suicide, New York State experienced a 13.4% decrease between 2020 and 2021.

Whether those gains endure remains to be seen, but I'm encouraged. Controlling access to lethal means like guns will save lives.

By David Sandman, President and CEO, New York Health Foundation
Published on Medium on August 19, 2024

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