Key Takeaways
Red flag laws can prevent suicide
Protective orders save about one life for every 17 times a troubled person's firearms are confiscated
Guns are the most lethal means of suicide
FRIDAY, Aug. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A new study finds that “red flag” laws are an effective way to prevent suicide.
“This analysis provides important information to support the claim that ERPOs can save lives,” said lead researcher Jeffrey Swanson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.
“These laws do not affect the personal gun ownership rights of law-abiding people who are not dangerous, and they are supported by a wide range of people across the political spectrum,” Swanson added in a Duke University news release.
A judge issues an ERPO after determining that someone poses an imminent danger to themselves or others, the researchers explain in a background document. That person's guns are temporarily confiscated.
Laws allowing ERPOs are currently in place in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
For the study, the researchers analyzed ERPOs issued for nearly 4,600 people in California, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington state. They used death records to determine whether these people ultimately committed suicide.
According to the researchers, firearms are the most lethal method of suicide, with a mortality rate of 90 percent, while other methods result in only about 10 percent of people who attempt suicide actually dying.
The researchers' analysis found that ERPOs may have helped prevent approximately 269 suicides, meaning one life was saved for every 17 times the order was issued.
The results show that more states could benefit from red flag laws and that they should be used more frequently to protect people from their own dangers, Swanson said.
“Even if we reduce many of the incentives that drive people to commit heinous acts, we still live in a society where people have easy access to technology designed to efficiently kill people,” Swanson said. “Ensuring access to firearms for people at risk of harming themselves or others is an evidence-based approach that can save lives.”
Source: Duke University, news release, August 20, 2024
What this means for you
People concerned about the safety of troubled loved ones should find out if their state has any “red flag” laws.
