Reducing Access to Lethal Means for Those at Risk for Suicide

Reducing Access to Lethal Means for Those at Risk for Suicide

Why you are receiving this information.

You or your family member has indicated that they have been thinking about suicide, have made a suicide attempt, or are struggling with mental health, substance misuse and/or life challenges. For people facing these issues, suicidal thoughts can come up quickly and unpredictably and can lead to suicide attempts.  We thus recommend reducing their access to lethal means as an important part of keeping them SAFE.

What are lethal means?

Lethal means are those that are MOST LIKELY to cause death when used by someone feeling suicidal. 

  • Suicide attempts most frequently involve pills; Suicide deaths most often involve firearms.
  • The difference is in the comparative lethality of the methods.
  • Most attempts happen at home, are decided on quickly, and involve readily available methods. 
  • Unlike most other methods, firearms do not allow for a change of mind or for rescue. 

Putting time and distance between a suicidal person and lethal means, especially firearms, may save a life.

How to reduce access to lethal means?

Firearms:

  • Temporarily storing all guns away from the home is the most effective method. Asking a friend or relative to hold on to them is often the easiest way to accomplish this.
  • Other offsite storage options include: gun shops, firing ranges, self-storage units, pawn shops and some police departments. Some of these might involve a fee or background check. 
  • In-home locking is not as safe. Kids often know where guns are stored and how to access them, even when adults think they don’t.
  • If removing firearms from the home is not possible, take steps to increase time and distance.
    • Triple safe locking at home is the next safest option. Unload all firearms, lock them in a gun safe, lock the ammunition separately or don’t keep the ammo at home for now. Trigger or cable locks can be added to the guns as well.
    • Change combinates or key locations to the gun safe.
    • Remove the key component of the firearms.
    • If the gun owner is the one at risk, lock all guns and give the key(s) to someone else.

Medications and Toxins:

  • Dispose of all expired / unneeded medicines, especially prescription pain pills and any drugs of abuse.
  • Reduce access to meds by dispensing them one at a time or keeping only a few days’ worth of pills in a pill box.
  • Prioritize locking up the following and seek specific guidance from a doctor or pharmacist.
    • Prescription pills – especially if they are used for pain.
    • Over-the-counter pain pills.
    • Over-the-counter sleeping pills.
  • Lock up all toxic household cleaning products, pesticides, solvents, and other potential poisons.

What else should we do? 

Focus particularly on anything mentioned in suicide plans or means that pose particular risk for the individual due to personal interest or recent suicides in peers, the news, etc.

While reducing access to lethal means is effective for prevention suicide, it should be implemented as part of an overall safety plan.

For more information on reducing access to lethal means, visit the MEANS MATTER website at www.meansmatter.org.

Help is available 24/7 by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or by texting MN to 741741.

 

Reprinted with permission from the Minnesota Department of Health.

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