HomeAdvocacy & ActionEducation to Action: Firearm Policy for Suicide Prevention

Education to Action: Firearm Policy for Suicide Prevention

Suicide is a serious public health concern that has devastating effects on individuals, families, and communities. The American Association of Suicidology and the Center for Gun Violence Solutions developed the toolkit, Education to Action: Policy & Advocacy for Suicide Prevention, to address the significant role firearms play in suicides. Firearms account for more than half of all suicide deaths in the United states, or 64 deaths a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 90 percent of suicide attempts involving a firearm result in death, according to Trends in the Incidence of Lethality of Suicidal Acts in the United States. Policy and advocacy is a valuable but often underutilized tool for suicide prevention and reducing access to lethal means. The Lethal Means & Public Policy Toolkit offers tangible tools, information, and public policy actions that advocates in the field can utilize at the local, state, and federal levels.