Section 7
Page 8 of 8Lethal means: learn and apply
Firearm safety
We can love firearms and love to prevent suicide.
People may choose to secure a firearm for many reasons, including when they are experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Empower people to make healthy decisions.
Suicide methods · United States
Time and distance
Delaying access matters.
Among survivors of highly lethal suicide attempts:
36%decided to act
within 5 minutes
within 5 minutes
48%decided to act
within 10 minutes
within 10 minutes
70%decided to act
within 60 minutes
within 60 minutes
Storage
A trusted person.
Ask the person what they think about having their firearms stored with a trusted person outside their home — just until they haven’t had those thoughts for a while.
- Friends or family.
- A gun safe, with someone they trust holding the keys or combination.
Children and adolescents
Address restriction of access and increased observation with responsible adults.
Learning check · 1 of 3
For clinicians
Lethal Means Receipt
A separate form for recording the means involved, agreed safety measures, support person’s details, release terms, and confirmation of removal.
Open the receipt · PDF ↗