Access to Firearms: SAFE HOMES respects your constitutional rights and believes that protecting those rights is as important as protecting your family.

Of the 30% of Americans who own a gun, two-thirds of us keep a firearm for protection. Sadly, two-thirds is also the amount of overall gun deaths resulting from suicide, and firearms are used in more than half of the suicides that take place in America (Pew Research Center Survey).

Surprisingly, firearms were only used for defense in 0.09 percent of crimes according to a recent Harvard University analysis of figures from the National Crime Victimization Survey. With that data in mind, it is much more likely that a person in crisis will use a firearm for suicide than need it for protection.

Gun owners are not more likely to attempt suicide, but those with access to a firearm are much more likely to die by suicide given the lethality of firearms. For that reason, it is imperative to limit access to a firearm during times of increased risk when a person is in crisis.

Even if a gun owner is not at risk for suicide, secure firearm storage is important for multiple reasons. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34, and according to a recent study, 80% of children in America who die by suicide use a gun belonging to a family member.

Local Suicide Data from the GA Department of Public Health (DPH): Data from the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System (GVDRS) from 2014-2018 revealed that firearms were used in 63% of all documented suicide deaths across the State of Georgia, 68% of suicide deaths in Grady County, 67% of suicide deaths in Colquitt County, and 77% of suicide deaths in Thomas County, which is of 26% higher than the national average.