How Guns and Suicidal Thoughts Interact

Guest Post by My Dad

“semi-colon” contains writing about mental health struggles. It may not be appropriate for younger readers or those sensitive to candid descriptions of suicidal ideation.

Amy and I are so grateful to have heard from many friends, family, members, acquaitances, and strangers over the last several days. We are incredibly proud of William for sharing his journey and inspiring others to ask for help. While this is his show, we may chime in from time to time with thoughts that William finds appropriate for parents.

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The events described in “Slippers” put the issue of guns front and center in our minds. It does not take much research to realize that suicidal ideation and guns are an incredibly dangerous combination. We are not here to preach, but do want to share what we have learned. - Baker Burleson

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In the past I kept a shotgun safe in my closet. It was extremely unlikely William or anyone else would ever crack the 8-digit code. Early in 2021, as we grew increasingly concerned about his mental state, I took an extra step and removed the keypad altogether. He could not have accessed that gun safe on December 11th without a blowtorch and an anvil. It was a blessing - but not an accident or coincidence - that William could not get to a gun that day.

We are not interested in having any sort of political discussion about guns. Left or right. Pro-gun control or 2nd Amendment enthusiast. We do not care. This is a practical message about suicide and firearms. Research shows that access to a firearm drastically increases the odds a person will die by suicide. Especially young men.

Historically the thinking was “if a person wants to kill themselves, they will find a way to do it.” Research shows this is not true. The “coupling” of suicidal ideation and a gun creates a terrible cocktail. A gun is too quick, too easy, and very likely to be fatal. Just as William’s mind was drawn to Cobain’s note, the suicidal mind is attracted to the effectiveness of a firearm.

Firearms account for only about 5% of total suicide attempts in the US. But because a gunshot is so uniquely fatal, guns are responsible for more than half of all suicide deaths. In a moment of distress and impulsivity, the availability of a gun makes the likelihood of a fatal suicide attempt much more likely. The mortality rate is even more important when one considers that more than ⅔ of survivors never attempt suicide again. A child cannot recover from an attempt at self-harm if they are dead, and the most likely way for them to end up dead is via self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Rather than regurgitating all the research that has been done on this topic, I am adding a few links at the bottom of this entry for further reading. At a minimum, please take one minute and view this video by Harvard professor Dr. Matthew Miller.

If you have firearms in your house – for hunting, home defense, concealed carry, skeet & trap shooting, target practice, plinking, whatever. Lock them up. Lock the ammunition up, too, but put it in a separate location. For our part, we have removed all guns from our home over the last month. 

When I told William last week there were no longer any guns in the house, his reply was, “That’s good. Guns make it too easy.” Our advice as parents: make it as difficult as possible for your child to take their own life, if they are ever faced with such a decision. 

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Resources on the links between guns and suicide (least to most dense reading):

New York Times – Blocking the Paths to Suicide

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Firearms and Suicide Prevention

Brady United – Suicide Prevention Report

Giffords Law Center – Confronting the Inevitability Myth

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