Understanding Suicide and Firearms in Arizona: What Every Arizonan Should Know
Suicide is a serious and growing public health issue in Arizona. In a new brief report, Suicides and Firearms in Arizona: A Data Review & Policy Call to Action, AZPHA member Allan Williams, Ph.D. lays out clear data showing how often suicide happens in our state, especially when firearms are involved, and why this matters for families, communities, and public health.
Suicides and Firearms in Arizona: A Data Review & Policy Call to Action
Across the US tens of thousands of people die by suicide each year. In Arizona, the rate of suicide is higher than the national average. Over recent years, suicide deaths in Arizona have increased steadily.
One key finding from the report is that firearms play a large role in these deaths. When people use guns to attempt suicide, the attempt is almost always fatal. National research shows that more than 90 % of suicide attempts with a firearm result in death. Because of this, gun-related suicide deaths make up a large portion of all suicide deaths in Arizona.
The data in the report also shows differences between groups. Men are more likely to die by suicide with a firearm than women, and older men are especially affected.
Firearm suicide becomes more common with age, and rates among those 75 and older are particularly high. While firearms are the leading means of suicide for most groups in Arizona, there are some differences by race and age as well.
The cost of suicide is not just emotional. It is also economic. In 2023 alone, suicide deaths in Arizona were associated with billions of dollars in combined medical and lifetime costs.
So what can be done? Dr. Williams emphasizes that while mental health support is important, so are strategies that reduce access to the most lethal means of suicide, especially for people in crisis.
Research shows that policies and practices like safe storage of firearms in the home, child access prevention laws, waiting periods for firearm purchases, and extreme-risk protection orders can help lower the chances that someone in a moment of crisis uses a gun to take their life.
The full report lays out both the data and specific policy steps that could improve safety in Arizona. It also points to strong evidence from national research showing that limiting access to lethal means when people are at risk can save lives.
We encourage readers to read the full report by Allan Williams, Ph.D., to better understand the numbers behind suicide in Arizona and the ways public health approaches can make a difference. This is not just a statistic — these are people in our communities.
Suicides and Firearms in Arizona: A Data Review & Policy Call to Action