Law enforcement officials, active duty military members and veterans of both professions are at a higher risk of firearm suicides, several studies have found.
This is because both groups are more likely to own guns than civilians, a reality that has long complicated prevention efforts.
Military and veteran suicide kills thousands every year, at a rate far higher than the general population, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. By 2022, three-quarters of those who take their own lives will use guns.
It’s a similar reality for law enforcement. Police officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty, The New York Times reported in May.
At least 184 officers die by suicide each year, according to First H.E.L.P., a nonprofit collecting data on police suicide. An average of about 57 officers are killed by suspects every year, according to FBI statistics.
Discussing suicide prevention within the law enforcement and military communities has long avoided the gun issue. But as this Associated Press article points out: “If America wants to get serious about addressing an epidemic of suicide, it must find a way to honor veterans, respect their rights to own a gun, but keep it out of their hands on their darkest days.”
Related: One story does not fit all: How to change the narrative on veteran suicides
Journalists can help reduce stigma and misinformation around suicide by avoiding sensationalization and focusing on the larger trends in the data. Reporters must tell the whole story of a person who died by suicide and those who have survived. It’s also crucial to highlight the work of advocates trying to prevent these deaths.
A closer look at the research
One study from Rutgers found that law enforcement officers in the U.S. own firearms at high rates, yet rarely securely store their guns.
The researchers examined data from 369 American law enforcement officers, including on firearm ownership, storage, suicide risk and demographics.
“Historically, law enforcement officers have had higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors,” Allison Bond, clinical psychology doctoral candidate with the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers and the first author of the study, said in a statement.
“We found that not only are they experiencing high rates of suicidal thoughts, but those who have had suicidal thoughts are more likely to own firearms, and are often not engaging in secure storage.”
That’s concerning, Bond says, because access to guns, especially when they’re unsecured, increases the risk for several different types of firearm injuries and death, including suicide.
The study highlights that law enforcement officers have higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than the general population. Cops who die by suicide are also more likely to use a firearm.
Key study findings
Their research found that 70.5% of law enforcement officers own at least one firearm. The majority own handguns, nearly 80%. About 798% said they own more than one type of firearm. Yet, less than 40% said they store their guns in a safe, and about 31% said they use a trigger lock.
According to the study, 57% of the officers sampled reported lifetime thoughts of suicide. Those with lifetime thoughts of suicide were more likely to own firearms, researchers learned.
“If law enforcement officers experiencing suicidal thoughts are more likely to have quick access to an unsecured firearm, there is a greater risk that, in their worst moment, they will reach for and use by far the most lethal method for suicide,” Michael Anestis, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and an associate professor at Rutgers School of Public Health, said in the statement.
These trends are also reflected among active-duty military members and veterans.
Half of veterans report owning guns, according to one study. And over half, about 52%, reported storing firearms unsafely, researchers found.
Veterans are three times more likely than non-veterans to die by gun suicide, and they make up approximately one in five adult firearm suicides, according to an Everytown analysis of VA data. That averages to 4,600 veteran firearm suicides every year.
Several studies also point out the mental health component within both professions. Working in public safety is a high-stress job and both cops and soldiers are at risk for mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Story ideas and resources
Here are several strong reporting examples and resources health care journalists can reference and use to cover this topic
A recent series from CNN focused on how suicide has impacted one sheriff’s office in Texas. In six weeks, four current and retired sheriff deputies died by suicide.
That series also highlighted an often-ignored risk factor for suicide among law enforcement: leaving the force. Of the 1,287 public safety personnel who died by suicide nationwide between 2016 and 2022, 17% were in retirement, CNN reported.
The CNN series and the Times story on cop suicides mentioned First H.E.L.P. The nonprofit compiles and publishes data on police suicides. The data is broken down by type of profession, years of service, rank, duty status, location, race and gender. Their figures also include active duty and retired military.
The Associated Press article on veteran suicide is also a strong example of how to cover this issue, especially because it dealt with the difficult task of balancing gun ownership and suicide prevention.
The reporter also focused on prevention advocates with credibility among military members, such as Mission 22, a nonprofit aimed at ending military and veteran suicide. The nonprofit has chapters throughout the country and offers programs designed to meet the mental, emotional and physical challenges veterans and military members face.
These stories and many others show how health care reporters can tackle this topic.
