Sec. 2. Findings
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/bill/119/hr/7591/ih/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: Unintentional injuries and suicides related to firearms are significant causes death among children and teenagers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— the annual rate of suicide by firearm in the United States increased approximately 11 percent from 2019 to 2022, with provisional data suggesting that 2024 may have had the highest rate of gun suicide since at least 1968; nearly 60 percent of all gun-related deaths in the United States are suicides; in 2021, 2022, and 2023, firearm suicides accounted for approximately 55 percent of all suicide deaths in the United States; in 2023, an average of 75 individuals in the United States died by firearm suicide each day; in 2023, the third leading cause of death in the United States for youth under the age of 18 was suicide; and in both 2022 and 2023, firearms were the leading mechanism of death among youth under the age of 18 in the United States.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 79 percent of the firearms used in the suicides of youth under the age of 18 are the guns of family members. Suicide attempts involving firearms are almost always deadly, with 9 out of 10 firearm suicide attempts resulting in death. Education about the importance of proper secure storage of firearms, including the risk of firearm-related suicide associated with unsecured weapons, is critical to reducing firearm-related unintentional injuries and suicides.
Implementing firearm safety and education on suicide prevention can foster a culture of responsible firearm ownership and handling, benefitting both individuals and communities. It can take less than 10 minutes between thinking about suicide and acting on it. Putting barriers between individuals and lethal means in moments of crisis can save lives. Secure storage of firearms is effective in reducing suicide deaths.