A new study determined who military service members and veterans see as the most credible messengers for discussing safe gun storage with — a key insight for preventing firearm suicide, a leading cause of death for both groups.
Researchers with the American Association of Suicidology found that service members across many backgrounds who own guns consider military personnel and veterans to be highly credible sources for discussing safe firearm storage.
The study surveyed service members who own firearms to see who they found to be the most and least credible. Faith leaders, casual acquaintances and celebrities were found to be the least credible sources.
Why it matters
These findings are relevant for covering firearm suicide because it informs the types of sources reporters should use when writing about prevention. While experts and prevention advocates are good sources for safe gun storage, these results are a reminder to consider a diverse array of sources when tackling this complex topic and capturing the right audience’s attention.
Respondents to the survey were men and women representing different branches of the military, multiple racial identities, political preferences, and came from both urban, suburban and rural areas. The study asked participants to rank 20 sources by their credibility, including medical professionals, gun violence research centers and a fake suicide prevention association.
While all respondents considered service members, veterans and law enforcement to have high credibility, some groups ranked other sources highly.
According to the findings, white respondents found service members, veterans and law enforcement to be the most credible. Black participants ranked law enforcement, veterans and the National Rifle Association as the top three most credible sources. Native American respondents put firearm manufacturers, service members and veterans as the top three. Asian participants ranked family members, service members and veterans the highest.
Black men and women reported differences in their ratings, the study found. Black men ranked the NRA as highly credible, while Black women considered the organization to have one of the lowest credibilities. They instead ranked the American Suicide Prevention Association (a fake group made up by the study), medical professionals and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as highly credible sources.
Regardless of politics, participants living in non-metropolitan rural areas ranked law enforcement members as highly credible. Participants who identified as liberal and lived in rural and urban settings considered the National Shooting Sports Foundation as a highly credible source.
Navy and Air Force service members considered family members as highly credible, and participants serving in the Coast Guard ranked the NRA in the top three.
“Leveraging these voices in firearm safety conversations is necessary, may increase adherence to secure storage recommendations, and ultimately reduce suicide,” the study says. “Given the military’s high rate of firearm suicide deaths with personally owned firearms, understanding who subgroups of firearm-owning service members deem credible to discuss firearm storage is important.”
Sources to boost your reporting
- The Safer Homes Collaborative is a great source and example of how to employ a credible messenger model when talking about firearm suicide prevention and safe gun storage. It’s a joint effort between firearm owners and and suicide prevention advocates to raise awareness that suicide can be prevented through safe firearm storage.
- Contact: Katie Ellison, katie.ellison@mimh.edu.
- Katie is an excellent source on firearm suicide prevention. She also is the program director for the lethal means safety and firearm suicide prevention initiatives at the University of Missouri–St. Louis Institute of Mental Health.
- Caitlin Thompson, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and vice president of community partnerships at Cohen Veterans Network.
- Contact: communications@cohenveteransnetwork.org Kate.Sullivan@cohenveteransnetwork.org, (203) 569-0293
- Angie Waliski, Ph.D., a researcher with the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Psychiatric Research Institute. She also works with Veterans Affairs. In her research, Waliski has found that strong and well-resourced community organizations can make a difference in preventing suicides and encouraging veterans to talk about their mental health.
- Contact: adwaliski@uams.edu and Angie.Waliski@va.gov
- The Everytown Veterans Advisory Council, an example of the prevention community collaborating with veterans and military service members.
- Veterans Affairs medical centers, which often employ suicide prevention coordinators who are good sources for prevention efforts and credible messaging.
