This piece in the New York Times explores why Wyoming consistently rates among the highest-suicide-rate states. The answer, the author says, is simple and common among red states: easy access to guns, social and physical isolation, and a culture that treats people seeking help for mental illness as weak or “liberal.”
The writer mentions the 2023 debate when Wyoming considered additional state-level funding for the national 988 crisis lifeline: One lawmaker, whose own son had died by suicide in 2011, argued that suicide and mental health are problems for churches, not government, to deal with. Extreme risk protection orders, which can be used to temporarily take guns away from people in crisis and have been proven to save lives, have been completely banned in Wyoming.
Colorado is also considered a high-suicide state, for the same reasons as our neighbor to the north. According to the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment:
- In 2023, 56% of all suicide deaths in Colorado involved firearms.
- Like national trends, most suicides involving firearms in Colorado (64%) were among non-Hispanic white men. In 2023, 37% of firearm-related suicide deaths were among people aged 25–44, and 13% were among youth and young adults under 25.
- While Veterans make up 7% of Colorado’s population, they accounted for 21% of firearm-related suicide deaths in 2023.
- In 2023, around 30% of Colorado adults reported they or someone close to them had been affected by suicide.
- Many Coloradans are concerned about suicide involving firearms. In 2023, about 40% of adults were worried about adult suicides, and 57% were concerned about youth suicides involving firearms.
- Only 26% of adults knew that suicide is the most common cause of death involving firearms in the state.
Whatever side of the Colorado/Wyoming border you live on, it’s OK to ask for help. You can learn more about safe storage and Extreme Risk Protection Orders on the Colorado Ceasefire website.