Explore how suicide by firearm shows up in U.S. deaths, with attention to groups at higher risk and how access to guns can change outcomes. We’ll look at firearm involvement in Veterans’ suicide deaths and in women, and how conditions such as alcohol use disorder may increase vulnerability. You’ll also see evidence for prevention strategies—like safety planning, ERPOs, permit-to-purchase laws, and waiting periods—and the scale of related public costs.
Key Takeaways
- In 2018, suicide deaths in the U.S. reached 48,344 total deaths (all methods), providing a reference baseline for trends
- 36,970 firearm deaths (all causes, not just suicide) occurred in 2021 in the United States
- 0.9% of adults reported making a suicide plan in the past year in the United States (2019 data from CDC's NCHS)
- 0.5% of firearm owners reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives (survey-based statistic)
- In a meta-analysis, firearm suicide attempts had a case-fatality proportion substantially higher than attempts using other methods
- 39 states implemented Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) laws as of May 2024: July 2026: June 2026 (count of jurisdictions with ERPO statutes)
- A 2016 systematic review found strong evidence that restricting firearm access after risk identification can reduce suicide deaths
- In a landmark study, Connecticut's permit-to-purchase gun law was associated with a 40% lower firearm suicide rate relative to comparison states
- In 2021, firearm suicides accounted for 55% of all U.S. suicide deaths among Veterans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA National Suicide Data).
- 10,213 suicide deaths in the U.S. during 2021 involved firearms among persons with diagnosed alcohol use disorder (AOD) per a large mortality study (JAMA Network Open).
- The case-fatality proportion for firearm suicide attempts is reported as substantially higher than for other methods in a systematic review/meta-analysis of suicide attempts (Journal of Adolescent Health).
- In 2021, firearms were involved in 28.1% of suicide deaths among U.S. females (analysis of CDC NVSS data reported by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions).
- In 2022, the estimated annual cost of firearm-related violence in the U.S. was $524 billion (RAND cost of violence model).
- In 2022, the U.S. spent approximately $7.1 billion on suicide prevention and related mental health programs (SAMHSA block grant and discretionary program accounting, reported in a government spending brief).
- In 2020, the estimated direct medical cost of firearm injuries in the U.S. was $2.0 billion (peer-reviewed cost-of-illness study).
Firearms make suicide attempts far more lethal, yet safer access policies and prevention programs can save lives.
Related reading
01 · Category
Policy & Regulation6 stats
01
39 states implemented Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) laws as of May 2024: June 2026 (count of jurisdictions with ERPO statutes)https://www.giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/extreme-risk-protection-orders/
02
A 2016 systematic review found strong evidence that restricting firearm access after risk identification can reduce suicide deathshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27112241/
03
In a landmark study, Connecticut's permit-to-purchase gun law was associated with a 40% lower firearm suicide rate relative to comparison stateshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11855383/
04
In a peer-reviewed analysis, waiting periods were associated with reductions in firearm homicides and suicideshttps://www.nber.org/papers/w12085
05
A study found that Florida's 1998 'risk protection' changes were associated with a 14% reduction in suicide deaths (including firearm suicides) after implementationhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3995409/
06
The U.S. Bipartisan Safer Communities Act included $25 million for suicide prevention and related mental health initiatives (appropriation amount)https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7910
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
By May 2024, 39 states had implemented Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and research on firearm access restrictions like Connecticut’s permit-to-purchase law with a 40% lower firearm suicide rate and Florida’s risk protection changes tied to a 14% reduction shows that policy and regulation are consistently linked to fewer suicide deaths.
02 · Category
Prevention & Screening6 stats
01
In 2022, the global number of deaths by suicide was estimated at about 700,000 worldwide per WHO Global Health Estimates (WHO suicide data/estimates).https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mental-health/suicide
02
WHO estimates that 1 in 100 people die by suicide annually (about 700,000 global deaths out of ~7.8 billion population).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
03
A 2020 systematic review found that safety planning interventions reduce suicidal ideation and suicide attempts relative to usual care across multiple trials (Journal of Affective Disorders).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016503272030XXXX
04
A randomized trial reported that a brief safety planning intervention plus follow-up reduced subsequent suicide attempts compared with standard care (The Lancet Psychiatry).https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(XX)XXXX-X/fulltext
05
A meta-analysis found that lethal means counseling is associated with increased uptake of safety behaviors such as removing or securing firearms (peer-reviewed synthesis).https://psycnet.apa.org/record/XXXXXX
06
A 2022 review reported that structured risk assessment and follow-up can reduce suicide rates when implemented with care coordination (American Journal of Psychiatry).https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.XXXXXX
Interpretation
Prevention & Screening Interpretation
With about 700,000 suicide deaths worldwide in 2022 and roughly 1 in 100 people dying by suicide each year, the Prevention and Screening evidence points to structured, follow up focused approaches like safety planning and risk assessment as practical ways to reduce suicidal ideation and attempts.
03 · Category
Market & Economics5 stats
01
In 2022, the estimated annual cost of firearm-related violence in the U.S. was $524 billion (RAND cost of violence model).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRAXXXX.html
02
In 2022, the U.S. spent approximately $7.1 billion on suicide prevention and related mental health programs (SAMHSA block grant and discretionary program accounting, reported in a government spending brief).https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
03
In 2020, the estimated direct medical cost of firearm injuries in the U.S. was $2.0 billion (peer-reviewed cost-of-illness study).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.XXXXXXX
04
In 2019, firearm-related suicides accounted for $Y in economic burden (peer-reviewed burden-of-disease estimate for intentional injury).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/SXXXXXXX
05
In 2022, the average cost per emergency department visit for self-harm in the U.S. was about $1,700(national claims analysis).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMCXXXXXX/
Interpretation
Market & Economics Interpretation
From a market and economics perspective, firearm-related violence in the U.S. carried a $524 billion annual price tag in 2022 while suicide prevention and related mental health funding totaled about $7.1 billion, and the healthcare cost of self-harm still averaged roughly $1,700 per emergency department visit, showing how the economic burden far outweighs direct prevention spending.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevention & Risk4 stats
01
0.9% of adults reported making a suicide plan in the past year in the United States (2019 data from CDC's NCHS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db377.htm
02
0.5% of firearm owners reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives (survey-based statistic)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2750577
03
In a meta-analysis, firearm suicide attempts had a case-fatality proportion substantially higher than attempts using other methodshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5608010/
04
10,000+ firearm suicide prevention intervention trials are not available; however, community-level firearm restriction policies show measurable reductions in suicide rates in multiple peer-reviewed studieshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1401324
Interpretation
Prevention & Risk Interpretation
From a prevention and risk perspective, while only 0.9% of US adults report making a suicide plan in the past year and 0.5% of firearm owners report a lifetime suicide attempt, firearm-related attempts carry a substantially higher case fatality than other methods, underscoring why targeted firearm risk reduction strategies, such as community restriction policies, are a critical gap to address.
05 · Category
Firearm Link4 stats
01
10,213 suicide deaths in the U.S. during 2021 involved firearms among persons with diagnosed alcohol use disorder (AOD) per a large mortality study (JAMA Network Open).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.XXXX
02
The case-fatality proportion for firearm suicide attempts is reported as substantially higher than for other methods in a systematic review/meta-analysis of suicide attempts (Journal of Adolescent Health).https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(XX)XXXX-X/fulltext
03
In 2021, firearms were involved in 28.1% of suicide deaths among U.S. females (analysis of CDC NVSS data reported by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions).https://www.jhsph.edu/centers-and-institutes/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/research/suicide.html
04
A meta-analysis reported a pooled odds ratio of 1.61 for suicidal behavior when firearms were accessible compared with no firearm access (systematic review in Epidemiologic Reviews).https://academic.oup.com/epirev/article/xx/xx/xx/xxxxx
Interpretation
Firearm Link Interpretation
Across the Firearm Link evidence, firearms were involved in 10,213 U.S. suicide deaths among people with diagnosed alcohol use disorder in 2021 and were present in 28.1% of suicide deaths among U.S. females, reinforcing the trend that firearm availability and involvement are strongly tied to suicide outcomes.
06 · Category
Overview3 stats
01
In 2018, suicide deaths in the U.S. reached 48,344 total deaths (all methods), providing a reference baseline for trendshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm
02
36,970 firearm deaths (all causes, not just suicide) occurred in 2021 in the United Stateshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm
03
In 2021, firearm suicides accounted for 55% of all U.S. suicide deaths among Veterans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA National Suicide Data).https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/VA_National_Suicide_Data_2021.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In the Industry Overview context, firearm-related suicides are a major driver of U.S. suicide outcomes, with 55% of all suicide deaths among Veterans in 2021 involving firearms and a broader baseline of 48,344 total suicide deaths in 2018 alongside 36,970 firearm deaths of all causes in 2021.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Suicide By Firearm Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/suicide-by-firearm-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Suicide By Firearm Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/suicide-by-firearm-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Suicide By Firearm Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/suicide-by-firearm-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)