Firearms and youth suicide.

Abstract

The firearm suicide rate for persons aged 10 to 24 has increased from 2.3 per 100,000 in 1933 to 5.5 per 100,000 in 1982. Over the same period, the suicide rate for this age group by all methods other than firearms has only risen from 2.5 to 3.3. The most dramatic rise in the firearm suicide rate has occurred primarily since 1970, notably among males aged 15 to 24. During the 1960s and 1970s there was a substantial increase in the number of civilian firearms in the United States.