September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. At Survivors Empowered, we remember those who have died, support people who are struggling, and strengthen our commitment to helping survivors.
Firearms are the leading method of suicide among women in the US.
In 2023, firearms accounted for 35% of female suicide deaths, with poisoning following at about 30% and suffocation at about 26%.
The method of suicide is important because firearms are, by far, the most lethal means of suicide. Other methods like poison or suffocation offer the person a chance to call for help or be resuscitated but once a firearm trigger is pulled, the person has less than a 15% chance of surviving that suicide attempt.
The burden of suicide differs significantly among racial and ethnic communities. American Indian/Alaska Native women have the highest overall suicide rate among women, followed by White women.
Women of color are suffering an alarming increase in firearm suicide.
At the same time, the most dramatic recent increase in firearm suicide has occurred among Black women: their firearm-suicide rate increased 169% from 2015 to 2024. Hispanic/Latina women experienced an alarming increase of 57% among Hispanic/Latina women and Asian/Pacific Islander women experienced a 51%, (NIMH; Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions)
The face of firearm ownership is changing – and has expanded the number of families and kids newly exposed to firearms in their homes.
A 2026 analysis of the National Firearms Survey estimated that 29.8 million adults acquired firearms between 2021 and 2024, including 11.2 million adults who became new firearm owners. Women accounted for 46.3% of new firearm owners, and 46.1% were Hispanic and/or people of color. The researchers also estimated that 6.6 million children were newly exposed to household firearms because an adult acquired a firearm in a household that previously had none. (PubMed)
California study shows increase in women and ethnic minorities as first-time handgun buyers in the early 2020s.
Research from California found a substantial increase in first-time handgun acquisition among women and racial and ethnic minorities during the early 2020s. The researchers noted that groups with the largest percentage increases generally had lower handgun-ownership rates to begin with. Black women experienced the largest cumulative relative increase over the study period, with approximately 14,000 becoming first-time handgun owners—a 350% increase compared with their pre-pandemic rate. These numbers do not tell us whether or how increased firearm ownership is connected to suicide, but they tell us that the landscape of firearm ownership is changing. (Rosenberg et al., Stanford GSB)
A new gun in the home increases the accessibility to that gun and increases the risk for gun violence.
Talk with the women you love about firearm ownership, suicide risk, and safe storage. Share this information about the increased rate of suicide.
Ask the question, make the suggestion:
Are you thinking of suicide?
Let’s secure your gun.
During Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Survivors Empowered encourages you to learn more, ask questions, have difficult conversations, and look for practical ways to protect the people we love.
Prevention begins with awareness—and awareness begins with education.
