Research consistently shows that access to a firearm dramatically increases the risk of suicide. Studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and its Means Matter campaign have found that people living in homes with firearms are at significantly higher risk of dying by suicide than those in homes without guns. Importantly, this risk extends beyond the gun owner. A firearm in the home may be accessed during a moment of crisis by a spouse, teenager, child, roommate, partner, or friend. Many suicides occur during short-term periods of acute despair, hopelessness, substance use, or emotional crisis. Easy access to a loaded firearm can turn a temporary crisis into a permanent tragedy within minutes.

One common argument against firearm suicide prevention is the claim that a suicidal person “will just find another way.” But decades of research show that this is not true for many people in crisis. The Harvard Means Matter project explains that suicidal crises are often brief and impulsive. When highly lethal means like firearms are not available, many people survive the crisis and do not go on to die by suicide later. The means of suicide matters because other methods are far less lethal. A suicide attempt with a firearm is usually fatal; attempts using other methods are far more likely to be survived, allowing time for intervention, treatment, and recovery.

One important tool for prevention is the use of Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), sometimes called “red flag laws.” ERPOs allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone who is in crisis and may pose a danger to themselves or others. These laws are designed to create time and distance during high-risk moments especially when warning signs such as suicidal statements, threats, severe depression, substance abuse, or escalating behavior are present. Research suggests that ERPO laws can help prevent suicides by interrupting immediate access to firearms during periods of acute risk.

Mental health crises are not moral failures, and asking for help should never be treated as weakness. Families and communities should feel empowered to take warning signs seriously and to act early. Safe storage practices, temporary off-site firearm storage during periods of crisis, and ERPO protections can save lives. Conversations about suicide prevention must include honest discussions about firearm access because the evidence is clear: reducing access to lethal means during moments of crisis reduces suicide deaths.