A Rutgers study reveals that knowing someone who died by firearm suicide increases risk awareness but does not necessarily lead to safer gun storage.

A new Rutgers study published in Psychiatry Research finds that while knowing someone who died by firearm suicide is associated with greater recognition of suicide risk, it may not translate into safer firearm storage practices at home. Researchers analyzed survey responses from 7,810 U.S. adults to examine how personal experience with firearm loss relates to household gun storage and beliefs.

Survey Findings on Firearm Access and Loss

More than one in four participants, specifically 27.8%, reported personally knowing someone who died by firearm suicide. Furthermore, firearm access at home was associated with greater odds of reporting such a loss. Among firearm owners, knowing a victim was linked to stronger beliefs that having a firearm at home increases suicide risk, but it was also associated with storing at least one firearm both unlocked and loaded.

The Disconnect in Suicide Prevention

Lead author Allison E. Bond noted that personal experience appears to increase risk awareness, but that awareness does not automatically lead to more secure storage. Researchers suggest some gun owners may recognize general suicide risk while considering their own families unlikely to face it, or they may prioritize outside threats like home invasions. The study was cross-sectional, capturing data at one point in time, and could not establish cause and effect.