A new study says weak gun laws and firearm access have contributed to Idaho’s high rate of suicide.
According to the Violence Policy Center, in 2017 Idaho had the fifth highest suicide rate among the 50 states at 23 suicides per 100,000 people, with lax gun laws playing a role. The report shows states like Idaho with higher gun ownership and less restrictive gun laws lead the nation in suicide, while states with lower gun ownership and stronger laws have the lowest rates.
The top suicide rates in the nation are found in Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, New Mexico, and Idaho. Among those, 68 percent of Montana’s suicides are by gun, while Wyoming is 63 percent, and Idaho ranks 3rd at 62 percent. Idaho is also among the nation’s leaders in terms of gun ownership with firearms in more than 57 percent of Gem State households.
Meanwhile, the states with the lowest overall suicide rates and lowest gun suicide rates are New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. In each of those three states, guns were used in 26 percent or fewer of the suicides reported in 2017.
Each of those states has strong gun violence prevention laws as well as lower rates of gun ownership. (KMVT.com, Violence Policy Center)
