Statistics
In 9 out of 10 youth suicides by firearm, the firearm used was from the youth's own home (Grossman et al., 1999).
3 in 10 households with a firearm store it unloaded and locked up (Azrael et al., 2018).
The Midwest has a higher number of youth suicides and unintentional gun-related injuries than the rest of the nation (Fowler et al., 2017).
Minors who commit mass shootings are almost always suicidal themselves (Langman, 2009).
More than half of American teens worry about a shooting at their school (Peterson & Densley, 2022).
42% of youth suicides with a gun took place after a significant argument between them and a partner, friend or family member in the two weeks prior (Fowler et al., 2017).
Half of all mass shooters "leak" or tell their plan to someone prior to the event. Minors are more likely to share their plan to peers, in chat rooms,
and through social media (Peterson & Densley, 2022).
Youth suicide may be a more impulsive act; research on survivors across all age groups suggests that as many as 24% persons who attempt suicide spend less than five minutes actually deliberating (Simon et al., 2002).
Azrael, D., Cohen, J., Salhi, C., & Miller, M. (2018). Firearm storage in gun-owning households with children: Results of a 2015 national survey. Journal of Urban Health, 95(3), 295-304. doi:10.1007/s11524-018-0261-7
Fowler, K. A., Dahlberg, L. L., Haileyesus, T., Gutierrez, C., & Bacon, S. (2017). Childhood firearm injuries in the United States. Pediatrics, 140(1).
Grossman, D.C., Reay, D.T., & Baker, S.A. (1999). Self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and adolescents: The source of the firearm. Arch Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 153(8), 875-878. doi:10.1001/archpedi.153.8.875
Langman, P. (2009). Why kids kill: Inside the minds of school shooters. Palgrave Macmillan.
Peterson, J., & Densley, J. (2022). The violence project: How to stop a mass shooting epidemic. Abrams Press: New York.
Simon, T. R., Swann, A. C., Powell, K. E., Potter, L. B., Kresnow, M. J., & O'Carroll, P. W. (2002). Characteristics of impulsive suicide attempts and attempters. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior, 32, 49-59.