Research shows parent-owned guns most often used in youth suicide

DENVER — Most children and teens between ages 10 to 17 who died by firearm suicide used a firearm that belonged to their parent, and often the firearm had been stored unlocked, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition.

Sofia Chaudhary, MD, FAAP, will present preliminary findings from her research, “Who are the Firearm Owners in Youth Firearm Suicide?”  during the conference, held at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30.

The retrospective cohort study of 1,021 firearm suicides by youth ages 10-24 years was based on data from nine states from 2018-2021 reported to the CDC National Violent Death Reporting System. Compared to suicides by young adults (ages 20-24 years), the gun used in child suicide (ages 10-17) was 10 times more likely to be owned by a parent, the study found.

Among 18-24-year-olds (N=622), 69% owned the firearm and 14% used a firearm owned by a parent. About 70% of all suicides occurred in a home or apartment, according to research.

"As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I see far too many youth who have attempted suicide in my practice,” said Chaudhary, also an assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. "I plan to use this information to counsel parents and youth about the importance of secure firearm storage as a means to prevent youth suicide."

Among suicides with known firearm storage status, 67% were stored unlocked and 78% were stored loaded, while only 9% were stored locked and unloaded (the most secure method of storage).  By age, for 10–17-year-old decedents, 60% of firearms were stored unlocked and 70% were stored loaded, while for 18–24-year-old decedents, 69% of firearms were stored unlocked and 81% were stored loaded. A majority of youth with known mental health problems who died by firearm suicide used their own firearms, Chaudhary said.

“This speaks to the importance of secure firearm storage among youth with mental health problems, a group known to be at elevated risk for suicide.”

The Children’s Hospital Association Provided statistical support to the Children’s Hospital Association Research in Gun Related Events (CHARGE) Collaborative to conduct this work.

Dr. Chaudhary is scheduled to present her research, which is below, during an oral presentation from 10:20 a.m. to 10:27 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, in the Colorado Convention Center, Meeting Room 108. Her abstract is below this news release. To request an interview with the authors, contact Brian Katzowitz at brian.katzowitz@emory.edu.

In addition, Dr. Chaudhary will be among highlighted abstract authors who will give a brief presentation and be available for interviews during a press conference from noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, in the National Conference Press Room, CCC 705/707. During the meeting, you may reach AAP media relations staff at 303-228-8338.

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal. 

# # #

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/

Program Name: 2025 Call for Abstracts

Submission Type: Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Program and Firearm Injury Prevention Special Interest Group

Abstract Title: Who are the Firearm Owners in Youth Firearm Suicide?

Sofia Chaudhary

Atlanta, GA, United States

Firearms are the most common and lethal means of suicide for youth ages 10-24 years. Understanding the ownership and storage patterns of these firearms is crucial to inform suicide prevention efforts. The objectives of this study are, thus, to describe ownership and storage patterns of firearms used in youth suicide and to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of decedents associated with firearm ownership by the decedent or the parent.

A retrospective cohort study of firearm suicides by youth aged 10-24 years from 2018-2021 using the CDC National Violent Death Reporting System. We included data from nine states (AZ, CT, DE, KS, ME, MT, NH, ND, and HI) with firearm ownership information available for >70% of cases. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated odds of firearm ownership by the decedent or parent, adjusted for age group, sex, race, ethnicity, location, and clinical characteristics.

Of 1,021 youth firearm suicide decedents, most were White (82%), non-Hispanic (80%), ages 20-24 years (63%), and male (89%), with 69% of deaths occurring in a house/apartment. Firearm ownership was missing for 23% of decedents. Of the remaining cases, firearms were most often owned by the decedent (43%) or by parents (21%). Younger (10-17-year-olds) decedents were less likely to own the firearm compared to 18-24-year-olds (4% vs. 53%), whereas parents were more likely to own the firearm for younger compared to older decedents (56% vs. 11%) (Table 1). Of decedents with known firearm ownership and mental health problems (n=307), 60% owned their firearm and 25% were owned by a parent. The adjusted odds ratio of firearm ownership by the decedent was 0.03 (95% CI 0.02, 0.07) for 10-17-year-olds compared to 18-24-year-olds. The adjusted odds ratio of parental firearm ownership was 10.99 (95% CI 7.5-16.1) for 10-17-year-olds compared to 18-24-year-olds (Table 2). Among suicides with a known locked status of the firearm (n=462), 67% were stored unlocked and 32% were stored locked. Among suicides with a known loaded status of the firearm (n=455), 78% were stored loaded and 22% were stored unloaded.

Forty percent of youth suicide decedents used their own firearm, and over half of 10-17-year-olds used a parent’s firearm. Although storage data are limited, among decedents for whom firearm storage practices were known, most firearms were not securely stored (e.g., locked and unloaded). Suicide prevention strategies should focus on reducing access to firearms owned by youth in addition to caregivers, with particular attention on reducing access to firearms within the home.

Table 1. Firearm Characteristics and Circumstances in Youth Firearm Suicide, Overall and by Age Group (Column %)

a-Motor Vehicle does not include school bus and public transportation, b-Natural Area includes field, river, beach, woods

Table 2. Multivariable Regression for Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics Associated with Firearm Ownership

a-Adjusted for age group, sex, race, ethnicity, location of injury, and clinical characteristics (mental health problem, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, alcohol abuse problem, and substance abuse problem). b-For race, the Other category includes Asian/Pacific Islander (only 1.6% of the total sample), Multiple race category, and Other