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Safe Storage and Suicide Prevention
Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. Call or text 988. Chat at 988lifeline.org. Visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.
Suicide is a complex issue. There is not a single cause; rather, it is an outcome of multiple contributing factors. However, environmental factors, such as access to lethal means, increase the risk of suicide.
All suicides have one thing in common—a lethal means was used. While there are several commonly used lethal means, firearms were used in nearly half of all suicides among Americans, and in almost 70% of all Veteran suicide deaths.
Also, how a person attempts–the means they use–plays a key role in whether they live or die. For example, as many as 9 in 10 suicide attempts that involve firearms are lethal. The interval between deciding to act and attempting suicide can be as short as 5 or 10 minutes, and people tend not to substitute a different method when a highly lethal method is unavailable or difficult to access. Reducing access to lethal means among people at risk and increasing the time interval between deciding to act and the suicide attempt can be lifesaving.
Guns are more lethal than other suicide means. They’re quick. They leave little room for rescue. And, they’re irreversible. This is why an emphasis on firearms comes to the forefront of suicide prevention and lethal means conversations.
These deaths are preventable.
Means reduction - reducing a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal means - is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. Increasing the time and distance between a person in suicidal crisis and their access to lethal means can reduce suicide risk and save lives.
Strategies to reduce access to firearms (lethal means) among people at risk of suicide:
Families, organizations, health care providers, and policymakers can take many actions to reduce access to lethal means of self-harm.
- Safe storage of firearms can reduce the risk of suicide by separating individuals at elevated risk of suicide from easy access to lethal means. Providing a safe storage device may also be combined with education and counseling about access to lethal means to enhance safe storage practices.
- Approaches to put time and space between lethal means and suicidal individuals may help save lives. A Firearms Restraining Order is a tool to buy time when it matters most and empowers law enforcement and families to prevent firearm-related suicide.
Obtain and share knowledge about the issue and how others can help
Educate
- Family members and others about ways to limit access to lethal means during a suicidal crisis.
- Communities about options for temporary storage of a firearm outside of the home during a suicidal crisis.
Train
- Primary care and behavioral health care providers on how to reduce access to lethal means among patients who may be at risk for suicide. Zero Suicide has a self-paced, online course meant for health care and social service providers.
- Nontraditional providers such as divorce and defense attorneys, probation/parole officers, and first responders in lethal means counseling.
Collaborate with others in your community to increase safety
- Institute lethal means counseling policies in health and behavioral health care settings.
- Partner with firearm retailers, shooting range owners, and gun owner groups on suicide prevention efforts like the Gun Shop Project, which provides materials developed with and for firearms retailers and range owners.
- Join your local American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) chapter. AFSP has partnered with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to implement a program that educates firearm retailers, shooting range operators, and instructors about suicide prevention.
- Distribute free or low-cost gun locks or gun safes.
Hotlines
If you or a loved one is currently experiencing a mental health emergency or mental health distress, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The 988 Lifeline is a confidential resource that will connect you or your loved one with a skilled counselor.
Students
Preventing both suicide among children and adolescents, as well as school-based violence using firearms, is crucial to keeping schools safe. Safe2Help Illinois (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) is a resource built for students and concerned peers in Illinois who are feeling unsafe in school due to school-based violence and bullying. To reach this confidential hotline, call 844-4-SAFEIL (723345). Text SAFE2 (72332).
Other Resources
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The American Academy of Pediatrics provides a free course called Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) for Pediatric health care providers. This resource is available until July 27, 2026.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has two figures showing firearm suicide trends by month and by year, utilizing both provisional and final data.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has a dedicated web page on firearms and suicide prevention. The website includes educational resources, tips for having difficult conversations with loved ones about their firearms, and general safe storage information.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center provides information about why reducing access to lethal means is essential, what you can do, and ways to take action to help loved ones and community members.
