Kansas leaders turn their backs on high suicides
Suicide attempts run in my family.
Depression is in our genes, passed down through the generations. My mom, my sister and several of my six children have been through the worst of times but survived. This past spring, my cousin’s son Joshua, just 24 years old, ended his life outside a hospital emergency room with a gun. No second chances, no time to see what wonderful things might happen down the road.
September marks National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to remember the lives taken by suicide, honor the survivors of suicide loss and promote hope and healing.
This month, we reflect on the increasing number of gun deaths among Kansans. More than two-thirds of firearm deaths in the state are suicides, higher than the national average.
While many people are aware that veterans are at a higher risk of suicide and that youth suicide is on the rise, it may be surprising to learn that farmers have a much higher rate of suicide than the general population due to occupational demands and a culture in which conversations about mental health are often stigmatizing, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Access to a firearm triples someone’s risk of death by suicide, and 90% of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal. Most people who attempt suicide do not die — unless they have access to a gun.
Suicidal crises are often brief, so ensuring that someone experiencing a crisis does not have easy access to lethal means can prevent a moment of despair from becoming an irreversible loss. Even five minutes can make the difference in deflecting a suicide attempt, and once that time passes, a subsequent attempt is unlikely to be made. Locked-up guns, guns stored elsewhere, waiting periods with background checks, extreme risk protection orders or other “red flag” processes, and caring support can save lives.
Stronger gun safety laws have the ability to prevent suicides, not just divert individuals in crisis to other means. In fact, research shows that states with strong gun laws have a significantly lower overall suicide rate than those states with weak gun laws, demonstrating that there is a role lawmakers across the country can play in addressing firearm suicide by enacting lifesaving gun safety measures.
If all states had the same gun suicide trend as states with the strongest gun laws, 72,000 fewer lives would have been taken by gun suicide over the past two decades.
I am sorry to report that Kansas legislators have had opportunities to pass secure firearm storage laws for guns in our state, but turned their backs on policies that would make our state and our homes and our schools safer.
They should consider a different course going forward.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, you can call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org/chat to chat with a counselor from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It provides free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24/7, anywhere in the U.S. Importantly, you don’t have to be in crisis to call this number — you can call when you’re struggling with a relationship, family problems or financial troubles.
Joshua shot himself outside a hospital doorway, leaving a note to say he hoped his vital organs could be donated to help others. They were, and several other people around the country now have a chance to live a full life that he didn’t.