Most child firearm suicides in US are done with parents’ guns, research finds

By Kristen Rogers, CNN

(CNN) — Suicide is a top cause of death among adolescents in the United States — second for children ages 10 to 14 and third among those 15 to 19.

These adolescents most often use firearms to end their lives. For kids ages 10 to 17, the guns are 10 times more likely to be owned by parents who store them unlocked and loaded, according to new research that lead author Dr. Sofia Chaudhary is presenting Sunday at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference and Exhibition in Denver.

The research hasn’t been peer-reviewed but is consistent with previous studies showing the well-established relationship between home firearms and suicide, said Dr. Rebecca Berry, a clinical psychologist in private practice in New York City and Westchester County, New York, via email. Berry wasn’t involved in the study.

“We have been seeing an increasing number of children and teens that have been presenting to pediatric emergency departments across the country with suicidal thoughts and attempts,” said Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The prevalence of firearms as the method of choice among children attempting suicide “is frightening,” she added, “because we know that when a firearm is used in suicide, it is fatal 90% of the time, and that most of these children do not get a second chance.”

The researchers wanted to examine the circumstances surrounding those episodes to identify solutions for preventing such deaths, said Chaudhary, who is also an assistant professor in pediatrics and emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

The research findings derive from 1,021 firearm suicides reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Violent Death Reporting System from 2018 to 2021. The young people were between ages 10 and 24 and had lived in Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire and North Dakota.

The reporting system, though not frequently used in research , is “our richest data source related to suicide decedents and the factors going on preceding their death,” said Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who wasn’t involved in the research.

Ninety percent of the suicides were by males, and of the overall suicides, 82% were by White youth, 63% were among people ages 20 to 24 and 69% occurred in a house or apartment, the researchers found.

Details on firearm ownership were missing for 23% of the decedents. But 4% of those ages 10 to 17 owned the guns they used, compared with 53% of 18- to 24-year-olds. Of the 30% of the decedents who had known mental health problems , 60% of them owned their firearms, and 25% used guns that belonged to a parent.

Data on storage factors were limited, but the available data showed that firearms were significantly more likely to be stored unlocked and loaded.

“Research on firearms and the association with youth injury and death is critically important, and in prior years (it) has been hard to advance the science due to funding barriers,” said Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois, via email. She wasn’t involved in the research. “If parents are gun owners, they need to be aware of this data and store their gun appropriately.”

Store your gun safely

The American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, advises that to prevent firearm-related injuries and deaths, the safest home for a child is one without guns. In 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 18.

For people who own a gun, improving storage methods can start with considering how you plan to use the gun and, accordingly, whether it should be kept in your home, said Heard-Garris, also a pediatrician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Owning firearms for hunting, for example, is good cause for storing firearms outside the home.

Guns and ammunition shouldn’t be kept in your car regardless of whether they’re locked and unloade d, the AAP says. Some states have laws that require safe storage of guns at all times or in certain circumstances, such as living with someone under age 16 or someone who isn’t legally allowed to own or possess a gun.

For indoor storage, guns should be kept unloaded and locked in appropriate safes or lockboxes for handguns, with ammunition in a separate safe, the AAP recommends. Access codes, combinations or key locations should be kept preferably in only gun owners’ memories or somewhere else others can’t find them. Many parents and caregivers think their kids don’t know where their guns are stored, but research has shown most kids are aware of those hiding places.

Concerns that safe storage renders guns insufficiently accessible during emergencies is valid, experts told CNN in a 2021 report. But there is a substantial difference between the likelihood of that situation and that of gun use in accidental or purposeful harm, Moutier said.

One option, however, is a quick-access safe that can be bolted down. Some of these have fingerprint security for instant unlocking.

In the event of mental health concerns or crises, firearms — in appropriate conditions and storage containers — should be temporarily left off-site with a trusted adult, law enforcement office or shooting range, Chaudhary said.

Regarding access to guns outside the home, “ask parents before your child has sleepovers, play dates, and hangouts if the family owns a gun, and if so, how they store it,” Heard-Garris said via email. If the family isn’t willing to answer or adjust, suggest their kids come to your house instead, experts recommended.

Support your child’s mental health

Creating a safe environment for young people concerns not only promoting gun safety but also providing the emotional safety that can help you be more aware of their well-being before a potential suicide attempt — though individuals cannot always predict or prevent someone’s suicide attempt.

Many parents tend to think their child would never do something as severe as attempting suicide, even when they’re aware of their child’s stressors. But they could be wrong.

“Parents can’t be in a bubble of denial about their own kid’s potential suffering,” Moutier said.

Consider how much you hid from your parents at your child’s age — and that “youth oftentimes suffer in silence for long periods where they’re not sure if telling someone else about their struggles is safe to do,” she noted. “When they do, the majority of the time, they will tell a peer before they will tell a parent.”

“There is a pervasive level of mental health crisis among young people,” Moutier added . “Of the 1 in 4 Americans who will develop a mental health condition in their lifetime, 50% have their onset of that mental health condition by age 14 and 75% by age 24.” But some people who attempt suicide do so impulsively or don’t have a mental health condition, Chaudhary said.

Expand your interactions with your child beyond asking about lunch, homework or sports. Inquire about how they have been feeling or what has been on their mind lately during casual, relaxed everyday activities, experts suggested. Being less direct and formal can help prevent your kid putting a wall up — as can chatting during car rides since not being face-to-face can feel less intimidating for them.

Notice when they happen to open up about their world and take advantage of those moments, Moutier said. Even if you’re anxious about or baffled by what they’re saying, don’t interrogate or criticize them, jump to conclusions or give unsolicited advice, Chaudhary said. Instead, validate, empathize with and be curious about their feelings and perceptions.

“Try to convey warm and accepting facial expressions as well,” Berry said, “as teens especially can be sensitive to perceived slights from parents.”

Berry also recommends parents and children practice healthy coping skills, such as progressive muscle relaxation or journaling, together.

Respect when your child isn’t ready to discuss something and say you’re available when they’re ready, Chaudhary said. But consider getting professional help if you notice changes in school performance, diet, sleep, mood, energy and engagement with friends or activities.

How you discuss and manage the mental health of yourself and others is critical for your child’s perceptions of you as a safe, helpful confidant and of their own struggles and how they should handle them, experts said. In fact, new research shows that children with parents who have experienced substance use disorder, suicidal behavior or alcohol-related disease are 67% more likely to later attempt suicide or engage in other self-harm.

Don’t call people “crazy” or say you’re powering through a rough period in front of your children. Have compassion for yourself and others and mention when you have sought a loved one’s help or attended therapy.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.