Why It Works
If you think this approach is bullshit, you wouldn’t be the first. Many veterans are skeptical that intervening to create time and distance between firearms and a person at risk of suicide makes sense. Here’s the research behind it:
“IF I’VE GOT A VETERAN IN TROUBLE AND HE’S DRIVING UP ON A MOUNTAIN WITH A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY TO THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT’S WRONG IN HIS LIFE, I KNOW THAT NOT HAVING THAT FIREARM THERE CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUICIDE AND A BAD HANGOVER THE NEXT DAY”
FIREARMS ARE UNIQUELY LETHAL
70% of veteran suicides are with firearms. Gun owners aren’t more likely to attempt suicide, they’re just more likely to die. On this one, the numbers are self-explanatory.
Most Deaths: Firearms
85% fatality rate.
Most Common Method: Intentional Overdose
2% fatality rate.
The Upshot: If you attempt with a firearm, you are 85% likely to die. If you attempt with pills, you are 98% likely to live. Because of this, among the general population, firearms are used in 6% of suicide attempts, but represent 51% of completed suicides.
SOURCES:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7391258https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19026258SUICIDES ARE OFTEN IMPULSIVE
If you’re thinking, “firearms aren’t the problem, it’s more complicated than that,” – you’re not wrong. The things that lead to a suicide attempt are often complex. Factors like life struggles, mental health, bad luck, substance abuse, chronic pain, and the aftermath of service can lead to that moment when a veteran thinks suicide is their only way out. But no matter what leads up to an attempt, a gun right there at easy access makes suicide easier. Why? Because suicide is often an impulsive act: Nearly half of people who attempt suicide and survive say they thought about it for 10 minutes or less.
A lot of vets call this the “fuck it” moment. I lost my job, my spouse left me, everything sucks. Fuck it. And if he or she’s got a gun, and maybe a bottle of whiskey right there, suicide suddenly becomes easier and quicker.
SOURCES:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7391258https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19026258SUICIDAL CRISES ARE OFTEN BRIEF
90% of people who attempt suicide and survive do not go on to die by suicide. So if you can delay a veteran’s attempt, and get them through a rough patch, there’s a good chance they won’t follow through later. Even if they attempt suicide, if they do it with anything other than a firearm, they are much more likely to survive.
SOURCES:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12204922https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/survival/EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PEOPLE DON’T SWITCH TO ANOTHER METHOD IF THEIR PREFERRED METHOD IS UNAVAILABLE
If you’re thinking right now, “if they want to kill themselves, they can find another way if they don’t have a gun,” that can happen. But there is evidence that shows that if a preferred – and more lethal – method is unavailable, they don’t switch to another method.
Case in point: The Israeli Defense Force was concerned about the number of soldier suicides, 90% of them with firearms. They changed the policy to prevent most soldiers from taking their duty firearm home on weekends. Soldier suicides dropped by 40%. The upshot: the soldiers in crisis didn’t seek out another suicide method to replace firearms.
SOURCES:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21034205https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26657599https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/useful-links/bibliography/other-lethal-means-reduction-studies-bibliography/CREATING TIME AND DISTANCE SAVES LIVES
In the clinical world, putting a bit of time and distance between a person in crisis and the deadliest suicide methods is called “lethal means reduction.” It’s one of the top evidence-based steps to reduce suicide. That’s right – science says this works. Ultimately, we want to get to a point where veterans don’t feel the like suicide is the solution. They should have the transition support, health care, and job opportunities that they need to lead good lives. That’s what we’re still swinging for. But in the interim, this step – intervening to create decision points between impulse and action on attempting suicide – is another way to save lives.
Still skeptical? Many veterans have J.F.A.’d and put in place protective firearm storage measures for themselves or for buddies – and they’re still here to tell the tale. Want to see what success looks like? Check out our success stories.
SOURCES:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19623078https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22408588https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303915583_Suicide_prevention_strategies_revisited_10-year_systematic_review