19-02-2025
Gun homicides and suicides are dropping from pandemic highs in Wisconsin, data shows
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text 'HOPELINE' to the National Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Following a surge during the pandemic, gun deaths of every type fell in Wisconsin in 2023, driven by a drop in gun homicides in Milwaukee, according to state data.
Other categories of gun deaths ― suicides, unintentional shootings and police shootings ― also dropped but by smaller margins, according to data from 2023, the most recent available from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The data for 2023 is provisional, which means it may be adjusted and is not final.
State data shows that suicides in Wisconsin stopped climbing in 2023, for the first time in several years.
While the new numbers signal good news, the number of firearm fatalities are still higher than they were before the pandemic. Suicides, despite plateauing, remain at a high level. It's the latest indication that, despite efforts to drive mental health awareness, the state has yet to recover from the pandemic's toll.
Sara Kohlbeck, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, called the figures "really encouraging" and pointed to anti-violence and suicide prevention programs in Milwaukee and statewide as potentially contributing to the decline.
Kohlbeck cited Milwaukee's Credible Messenger Program and 414LIFE team as examples of targeted efforts.
"It's one year so we can't call it a trend, but I think we are seeing potentially some of the positive effects of these types of different programs," said Kohlbeck, director of the Division of Suicide Research and Healing at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Kohlbeck credited efforts such as the Gun Shop Project, a voluntary storage effort for gun owners experiencing a crisis, and the Be There program by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Wisconsin. Those programs are geared toward white men over the age of 65, the largest demographic group of people dying by suicide.
She noted that the gains in that category are being offset by deaths in other categories of people, including those who are younger and more diverse. Kohlbeck and a colleague found young women, especially young Black women, are increasingly showing up at emergency departments presenting suicidal behavior and suspected suicide attempts.
Kohlbeck said many suicide prevention strategies, screenings and interventions have been developed with white, middle-aged men in mind. Looking ahead, more culturally relevant intervention models will be needed to address other demographics, but it's a "both-and situation," Kohlbeck said.
"We know that the interventions that work for a 65-year-old white man is not going to be the same type of intervention that's going to work for a 14-year-old Black, white or LGBTQ person. So we need to be creative and we need to involve these communities in our efforts as well," she said.
Gov. Tony Evers is creating a new statewide office charged with reducing gun deaths in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Madison.
Republicans, however, are opposed to the move, saying funds should go to support law enforcement. After Evers' State of the State address last month, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos questioned the creation of the new office, saying "there isn't a single action that can take the place of a person who wants to commit a heinous act."
"Sometimes people do bad things, and there's only so much that we can do to prevent it," Vos said.
Here are the details of the state data on firearm deaths and suicides:
A total of 772 people died from firearms in Wisconsin in 2023, a nearly 9% drop over the previous year. However, gun deaths have increased by 83% in the past 17 years.
More than 500 people took their lives with guns in Wisconsin in 2022 — the highest number in at least 30 years. That number dropped slightly in 2023, but remained over 500, the data shows.
There were 923 suicides in Wisconsin in 2023, down slightly from the previous year. However, suicides have risen 40% in the past 17 years, data shows.
Firearms account for an increasing percentage of suicides. In 2006, about 45% of suicides were with firearms. In 2023, that percentage had grown to 55%.
Over the past nearly two decades, roughly 70 of every 100 gun deaths in Wisconsin are suicides, 27 are homicides, 2 are police shootings and 1 is an accidental shooting.
The 2024 statewide gun death figures are not available yet, but when they are released later this year they may show further decline. That's because homicides have been dropping in Milwaukee. There were 138 homicides last year, down from about 172 in 2023. The total was 99 in 2019. Firearms account for the majority of homicides.
In Milwaukee, the most common homicide weapon by far is handguns, according to data compiled by the Medical College of Wisconsin's Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission.
The Homicide Review Commission's data also shows that roughly 8 out of 10 of victims in Milwaukee are Black men.
Journal Sentinel reporter David Clarey contributed to this article.
988 Wisconsin Lifeline connects residents experiencing a crisis to a trained in-state or national counselor. Call or text 988, or chat through the Lifeline's website. For veteran support, call 988 and then press 1, or text 838255 or chat via the Veterans Crisis Line website. To be connected with LGBTQ+ supports, call 988, then press 3, or text the word "PRIDE" to 988.
Prevent Suicide Wisconsin connects residents to county crisis lines, which provide supports and assessments, link people to resources within the community, and, when needed, send mobile crisis response teams to provide in-person support.
The Center for Suicide Awareness allows residents to communicate by text only. Text 'Hopeline' to 741741 to be connected with a trained, in-state counselor for any issue.
211 Wisconsin is a free and confidential three-digit line that connects callers to local mental health programs and services. Call 211, text your ZIP code to 898211, chat now, or search the site for services.
Uplift Wisconsin, a peer-support service operated through Mental Health America of Wisconsin, connects Wisconsin residents with certified peer specialists, those with lived experiences mental health, substance use and other related life experiences between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Call Uplift Wisconsin at 534-202-5438.
LGTBQ youth can call 866-488-7386, text 'START' to 678678, or chat at to speak with a trained counselor for any issue.
Access Clinics are designed to help connect uninsured Milwaukee County residents who are facing a behavioral health or co-occurring crisis with culturally competent treatment in the community, regardless of a person's ability to pay. Services include mental health and substance use assessment, therapeutic check-ins, peer support services, medication evaluation, and connecting patients to long-term behavioral health and community resources. There are three locations in Milwaukee County, on the north, south and east sides.
Mental Health Emergency Center, or MHEC offers 24/7/365 emergency mental health services for adults, adolescents and children as well as assessment, stabilization and treatment of mental health emergencies. It's located at 1525 N. 12th St. in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Mobile Crisis provides non-police mobile responses to mental health crisis and intervention in people of all ages in the Milwaukee County community. Call 414-257-7222 for a mental health crisis, a mental health assessment, assistance with stabilization, or connections to ongoing resources.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gun deaths drop in Wisconsin but suicides remain steady, data shows
