September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and for all the attention mass shootings and gun murders receive, the vast majority of gun deaths are suicides. Though gun homicides have fallen for the fourth consecutive year, CDC data shows that firearm suicides reached an all-time high in 2025. Notably, youth suicide rates have dramatically increased, especially among Black and Brown communities. New research finds that children are at least 20 times more likely to die of suicide with a gun at home than in a shooting at school.
So it’s a key time to emphasize to everyone that practicing safer firearm storage—storing firearms locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition—is one of the most effective ways to prevent firearm suicide. Adding time and distance between a person and a firearm can prevent an impulsive act. Research shows that even a 20% increase in the number of American households practicing safe storage could prevent almost one-third of annual youth gun deaths from suicide and unintentional shootings.
Spread the word about safer storage with resources you can download here, here and here.