Suicide By Firearm Is A Public Health Crisis

We are all aware of the seemingly endless and senseless gun violence happening in our country. In many cases there has been a rush to judgment to link mental illness as the cause, even as mental health experts and advocates know there is no causal relationship and that people with mental illness are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.

But while much of our attention has been drawn to gut-wrenching mass shootings, an alarming rise in the suicide rate and use of firearms as the means has gone largely unnoticed. Here are a few facts . . .