Gun suicide crisis grows in U.S., hitting record levels
About 27,300 gun-related deaths -- 58% of all gun deaths -- were suicides in 2023. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News
Gun-related suicides in the U.S. reached record highs for the third straight year in 2023, a new report on gun violence says.
About 27,300 gun-related deaths -- 58% of all gun deaths -- were suicides in 2023, according to research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
That means an American used a gun to kill themselves every 19 minutes, researchers said.
The increase in gun-related suicides has occurred even as firearm homicides have declined, researchers noted in their report, Gun Violence in the United States 2023: Examining the Gun Suicide Epidemic.
"Suicide is a growing crisis in the U.S. and guns are driving that crisis," lead author Rose Kim said in a news release. She's an assistant policy advisor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
Overall, guns were involved in 46,728 deaths in the U.S. in 2023. That's one death every 11 minutes.
Regarding firearms-related suicides, the report says that:
Rates were higher in rural regions (63%) than in large metropolitan areas (50%).
The state with the highest gun suicide rate, Wyoming, had about 10 times the gun suicide rate of Massachusetts, which had the lowest.
Men were 7 times more likely than women to kill themselves with a gun.
The gun suicide rate among men 70 and older was by far the highest.
The firearm suicide rate among Black youth 10 to 19 more than tripled and among Hispanic youth more than doubled during the past decade.
"Unfortunately, guns are much more deadly than other suicide attempt methods," co-author Dr. Paul Nestadt, medical director of the Bloomberg School's Center for Suicide Prevention, said in a news release.
To combat this, researchers recommended the adoption of policies to prevent children's access to guns, restrict the ability to purchase guns quickly, and make it easier to take firearms away from people at a higher risk for violence.
"Strategies that put time and space between guns and those at high risk of suicide are proven to save lives," Nestadt said.
Total gun homicides fell nearly 9% from the year before, from 19,651 to 17,927 between 2022 and 2023, researchers found.
Despite this, 2023 gun homicides represented the fifth-highest total on record, they noted.
For the fourth year in a row, guns were the leading cause of death among young people ages 1 to 17, with 2,566 total deaths in 2023, researchers found.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on firearm injuries and deaths.
Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Quebec air ambulance company pays homage to four victims of helicopter crash
MONTREAL - The company that operated an air ambulance that crashed on Quebec's North Shore on June 20 is honouring the four victims who perished. Airmedic says three of its crew members died as heroes, along with an American patient. Four crew members and the patient were aboard the Airmedic helicopter when it went down in a remote area north of Natashquan, about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The company described the patient as a quiet woman, entirely devoted to her family. One crew member survived, the body of another person was found on Monday, and the other three victims' bodies were recovered by provincial police on Wednesday. The Quebec coroner's office says the victims are Sébastien De Lutio, 50, from Lac-Beauport; Olivier Blouin, 25, from Pont-Rouge; Sébastien Groulx, 50, from Longueuil; and patient Claire Tripp, 78, from the U.S. state of Maine. On its website, Airmedic says its employees were faithful to their mission until the very last moment, and saluted their dedication, courage, and humanity. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
A growing number of shoppers are avoiding this ingredient
Trying to keep up with food and wellness trends feels like a full-time job. It started with organic. Then came gluten-free. Then vegan, non-GMO, Whole30, name it. Grocery store shelves are now a sea of claims, labels, and certifications, each one shouting for attention and promising to be the "cleaner," "better," or "safer" option. Shoppers are flipping packages over, scanning ingredient lists, and thinking twice before tossing something in the cart. Related: Heinz announces a genius new product fans will love They're not just looking for what a product has. They're zeroing in on what it leaves out. And now, a new category of ingredients is getting side-eyed. It's not sugar, gluten, or carbs this time. It's something that weaseled its way into everything from salad dressing to snack that was easy to miss, until now. That rising skepticism paved the way for a new kind of label, one that's now quietly changing what ends up in people's carts. Image source: Getty Images The ingredient getting dragged? Industrial seed oils. Think: canola, soybean, sunflower, and corn. These weren't even part of the American diet a century ago. Now, they can make up over 20% of the average person's daily calories. You'll find them in everything: frozen meals, sauces, baked goods, even "healthy" snacks. They're cheap. They're stable. And they've quietly become a food industry favorite. But not everyone's convinced they belong in our food. Shoppers are starting to question their heavy refining, sky-high omega-6 levels, and ultra-processed vibes. To meet that growing concern, brands are now turning to Seed Oil Free Certified - a label that launched in 2023 but is gaining serious momentum in 2025. Related: Forget the ice cream man, try this healthy take on a summer treat It's the first official certification for products made without industrial seed oils. And the brands who jumped on board are already reaping the benefits. According to a press release, Seed Oil Free Certified products saw a 216% sales spike in Q1 2025 compared to the year prior. Even more eye-popping, these products made a 410% jump in just the most recent 12-week period. And that growth isn't limited to niche wellness aisles. Sales are booming in both natural and conventional retail. What started as a quiet movement is quickly becoming a shelf-shaking trend. For shoppers, the seal keeps things simple. For brands, it's a fast track to standing out. According to the Seed Oil Free Alliance, certified brands are seeing stronger customer interest, better shelf velocity, and real traction with ingredient-conscious buyers. "We've seen firsthand the positive impact it has had on our brand," said Daily Crunch Co-founder Laurel Orley. More on retail: Starbucks changes drink prices (you might like it)Iconic Disney theme park treat comes to grocery storesGeneral Mills makes huge change to your favorite cereals "Displaying the Seed Oil Free Certified seal on our packaging helps customers identify Daily Crunch as a product aligned with their values." And those values are driving real decisions. A recent nationwide survey found that 28% of U.S. consumers are now actively trying to avoid seed oils. They're looking for simpler ingredients, less industrial processing, and more transparency. For brands, it's not just about putting a new label on the front. It's about building trust in an aisle full of noise. And the numbers don't lie: shoppers are buying in. A full list of Seed Oil Free Certified products can be found at Related: The diet mistake 71% of Americans are trying to fix The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Netanyahu denounces report that Israeli soldiers have orders to shoot at Palestinians seeking aid
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz emphatically rejected a report in the left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz on Friday, which claimed Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot at Palestinians approaching aid sites inside Gaza. They called the report's findings 'malicious falsehoods designed to defame' the military. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food since the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Reacting to the Haaretz piece, Israel's military confirmed that it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. It rejected the article's allegations 'of deliberate fire toward civilians.' The foundation, which is backed by an American private contractor, has been distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza, for the past month. 'GHF is not aware of any of these incidents but these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner,' the group said in a social media post. Palestinians trying to find food have frequently encountered chaos and violence on their way to and on arrival at the aid sites. Tens of thousands are desperate for food after Israel imposed a 2 1/2 month siege on Gaza, blocking all food, water and medicine from entering the territory pending the setup of the GHF sites. The bodies of eight people who died Friday had come to Shifa Hospital from a GHF site in Netzarim, although it was not immediately clear how they died, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmyiha, the hospital's director, told The Associated Press. A GHF spokesperson challenged the report, saying they did not know of any incidents at or near their sites Friday. Twenty other bodies his hospital received Friday came from airstrikes across north Gaza, he said. Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots. Mohammad Fawzi, a displaced man from Rafah, told the AP that he was only able to get empty boxes, not food, from the aid site in the Shakoush area in Rafah when he trekked there early Thursday morning. 'We've been shot at since 6 a.m. up until 10 a.m. just to get aid and only some people were able to receive it. There are martyrs and injured people. The situation is difficult,' he said. The group Doctors Without Borders on Friday condemned the distribution system as 'a slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid' and called for it to be immediately shut down. More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18. Since the war began, more than 56,000 people have been killed and 132,000 injured, according to the health ministry. The Gaza Health Ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 56,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas. The Israel-Hamas war started following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. About 50 of them still remain in captivity in Gaza. The latest deaths include six people killed and 10 wounded in Israeli strikes on a group of citizens near the Martyrs Roundabout in the Bureij Camp in central Gaza Strip, officials at Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Friday. The United Nations chief meanwhile urged leaders to show 'political courage' and agree to a ceasefire like the one forged between Israel and Iran. Secretary-General António Guterres also urged a return to the U.N.'s long-tested distribution system for aid in Gaza, where he said Israeli military operations have created 'a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions..' 'The search for food must never be a death sentence,' Guterres stressed to U.N. reporters Friday. ___ Shurafa reported from Gaza and Khaled from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed from the United Nations. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
