Access to a Firearm
Firearms remain the most commonly utilized method of completing suicide by essentially all groups. More than half of the individuals who took their own lives in 2004 used this method. Males (58% firearms; 42% other method) used firearms more often than their female counterparts (33% firearms; 67% other method). Access to firearms also presents a large problem for youth suicides and elderly. In 2001, firearms were used in 54% of youth suicides and firearms were used in 73% of suicides committed by adults over the age of 65 in 2001.