I bought my first firearm in 1976 when I was 10 or 11 years old. I’ve been a gun owner ever since, and I’m lucky enough that my hobby eventually evolved into my job. But in the summer of 2001, I called my brother, also a firearms enthusiast, and asked him to hold my guns for me. I was experiencing the roughest patch of my life and had started having scary thoughts. Thoughts like my family might be better off if I wasn’t around. And by “around,” I mean alive.
In my more lucid moments, I recognized that my current mindset and easy firearms access didn’t mix. That was among the most difficult calls I’ve ever made, but it was the right call. My brother agreed, of course, and I was fortunate that he lived close enough to take them that day. Fortunate, because my mood changed daily. Sometimes hourly. I eventually sought professional help, but not before hitting rock bottom. I can’t say whether not having those guns saved my life, but my brother holding them sure didn’t hurt.
Suicide Crisis
The national suicide rate reached an all-time high in 2022, with 49,369 deaths, at a rate of 14.4 deaths per 100,000 people. The rate rose 16 percent from 2011, and 37 percent since 1999. Both the raw suicide number and the suicide rate are public records. The rate is adjusted for population growth. The increased rate is partially driven by firearm-related suicides, which are now the most common method by which people take their own lives, accounting for 55 percent of all suicides.
Now, don’t mistake this for a “guns are bad” article. If you know me or my work, you also know that I don’t buy that argument for a second. Guns are among the most strictly regulated products in the nation, despite what most of the media and gun control advocates tell us. And gun owners are demonstrably among the most responsible and law-abiding of Americans. And therein lies a seed of this problem.
Gun owners, for the most part, are fastidious about the law because we have to be. We’re aware that one slip can cost us our gun rights forever. Screwing up would not only cost me my primary hobby, not to mention a fairly nice gun collection, but also my livelihood. That wariness extends to dealing with mental health issues to which few people are immune.
We often hear that America doesn’t have a gun problem; it has a mental health problem. Well, yes and no. There is certainly a mental health crisis, thanks to certain policy changes, lack of funding, and a general stigma regarding folks in need. Mental health is always discussed in the wake of murderous active shooting events, but no real solutions are put forth. It’s usually a tactic to counter the “guns are bad” narrative.
But if the suicide rate is at an all-time high, and guns are used in 55 percent of those incidents, that’s a correlation that should be addressed. Note that I said “correlation,” fully recognizing that correlation does not equal causality. I do not believe guns cause people to commit suicide any more than they cause people to commit murder. In fact, my rock-bottom moment came after my brother took my guns. My decision to “do it” had nothing to do with how. Not having the guns merely removed one possible means. So, with that in mind, let’s examine how firearm-related suicides might be mitigated.
Fessing Up
I said earlier that calling my brother was very difficult, and it was. I had to admit that I needed help. That’s not a strong suit for many people. But the first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have a problem in the first place. But there are extra hurdles for gun owners suffering mental health challenges.
Admitting a mental health issue isn’t just a step toward getting help. It’s also a potential step toward losing your gun rights. State and federal laws are a proverbial minefield when it comes to guns and mental health. Federal law prohibits mental health professionals from sharing your details with anyone unless you make a direct threat to yourself or someone else in their presence. That includes law enforcement and the NICS background check system. So, that really isn’t the problem and should not discourage seeking help.
However, some states and localities have Red Flag laws that carry a far less robust evidentiary standard for their application. Someone who knows you are a gun owner seeking mental health services can put that in motion. Some places require an affidavit from law enforcement or a medical professional to ask for a Red Flag warrant, but others allow family, friends, or acquaintances. Keep in mind that none of these people may know the details of your situation but can still have that warrant issued.
Red Flag warrants exist specifically to remove firearms from a person deemed a danger to themselves or others. Merely mentioning to someone that you sometimes have suicidal thoughts could potentially trigger that process. Red Flag warrants are served by law enforcement with varying levels of enthusiasm. Some cops show up at your door, politely serve the warrant, and ask for your guns. Others kick in your door at 3 AM. It’s happened, and people have died in the process.
But let’s say the Red Flag procedure goes peacefully and the cops take your guns. You must now appear before a judge and convince the court of your suitability to have your property returned. Guilty until proven innocent, you know. Exactly the opposite of how it’s supposed to work. You rarely, if ever, even face your accusers, as due process demands. But Red Flag laws toss due process right out the window. Retrieving your property costs time and probably lots of money since the person who represents himself in court is almost invariably a fool. Keep in mind that you may not even have a diagnosis at this point.
Fear of Red Flag actions certainly keeps some people from seeking help. That is not the laws’ purpose, nor the intention of their supporters. But the fact remains that Red Flag laws likely do far more harm than good, despite the media and political narrative.
Other Possible Solutions
The simplest solution to the gun owner’s suicide issue would seem to be voluntarily separating the individual from their firearms. But that’s easier said than done. I was fortunate to have my brother take mine for a while. Some may not have that option. Not to mention that he kept my guns for over two years while I put myself back together. Someone like that may be difficult to find.
New state laws and the new proposed federal rule regarding so-called “universal” background checks throw another monkey wrench into the mix. We have that stupid law here in Virginia, though it wasn’t in place in 2001. If I were to have a relapse (no danger there), I’d have to make a choice. I now live at the other end of the state from my brother. Being “immediate family,” I could transfer my firearms to him without a background check. But that is not the quick action I needed in 2001, and I doubt I’d be willing to make the drive.
If I needed help right now, I’d have to find a friend or acquaintance willing to take my guns for me. Maybe not an easy task these days. Once I found that person, we would have to meet at a gun store, where the other person would undergo a NICS background check, which costs money, time, and effort. Furthermore, once I determined that I was alright to have my guns returned, I would have to go through the same background check process. For my own property. As I said, this law is stupid, for this and other reasons. It also deters people from reaching out, like I was able to do with my brother, because it’s too much trouble, costs money, and is anything but fast and convenient.
Some states are far more restrictive than Virginia. New York, for example, requires an extended background check, firearm owner ID card, and registration for each firearm. Those processes take time. New York purposely makes firearms ownership as difficult as possible, as do other states with similar laws, like Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, among others. So, if you need immediate help in those states, you probably won’t get it, though the police would likely be happy to confiscate your property. Just don’t expect to ever get it back. Think that deters people? I promise you it does.
Finally, ATF Form 4473, which must be filled out before running the background check, has a question regarding mental health. It asks, “Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?” That can be a tricky question. If you go through a Red Flag proceeding, it means a judge had to sign off on the warrant. Does that count as being “adjudicated as a mental defective?” I don’t know. Even if the judge gives you back your guns at the hearing, you still have that initial warrant. I can’t say how that works in the ATF’s eyes, but lying on Form 4473 is a felony under federal law, carrying serious penalties.
How about the question’s second part? What if you check yourself into a mental health facility to get some help? Does that count as being “committed?” Again, with categories like “voluntary” and “involuntary” committals, I don’t know. But your not knowing risks running afoul of the FBI and ATF. Do you think that possibility might prevent someone from seeking help, even if only to keep their right to purchase firearms in the future?
Some States Step Up
Some states and one private enterprise are trying to ease this problem. Surprisingly, Washington State, which has some of the nation’s most onerous gun control laws, inserted a clause into their transfer laws aimed at suicide prevention. Previously, only immediate family members could hold someone else’s guns, but now extended family and even friends can do so. The problem is that the background check issues remain, but at least it’s not a blanket prohibition. It probably helps a little, but the background check requirement is still a hurdle.
Some states, notably Colorado, Washington, Utah, and Louisiana have established “safe firearm storage maps,” which identify licensed gun dealers willing to hold an individual’s guns should they be in crisis. Those dealers log the firearms into their inventory and store them in their gun safes. Several other states, and even the federal government, are moving toward such safe storage maps. The requirements to get them back are unclear and may only be the passage of the federal background check, which is the one constant. Again, the person must pass the background check to recover their own property, and Form 4473’s mental health question still looms.
A Private Option
A private enterprise called Hold My Guns takes the same approach. Licensed gun dealers volunteer to hold guns for people in crisis. The organization’s website, holdmyguns.org, provides a map and contact information for those dealers, as well as program information.
Hold My Guns was started by firearms instructor Genevieve Jones and Range Safety Officer Sarah Joy Albrecht. They started Hold My Guns in response to a glaring need based on personal experience. The Hold My Guns vision statement says, in part, that “We will encourage educational and enrichment opportunities that approach stressors contributing to suicide risk (such as financial wellness, conflict resolution, or re-acclimation after deployment) in a way that is matter of fact, helpful, and in the stigma-free environment of partnering gun shops.”
But Hold My Guns and the states with similar programs only partner with a limited number of participants. I can’t speak with certainty, but the low participation numbers imply reluctance since participation is voluntary and doesn’t cost anything. Many gun store owners have expressed concern about the legality of temporarily storing other people’s guns, especially the background check laws. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that insurance and liability concerns may play a part as well.
Also, few gun owners have taken advantage of the service. Some of that may be because few people are aware it exists, or the low dealer participation rate means there’s no one close by. But the most significant deterrent seems to be the background checks to have their property returned. According to participating gun dealers, many customers who reach out change their minds when they hear about that requirement. This makes friends and family better choices, at least in states without the ineffectual “universal” background check law.
What to Do?
Some well-meaning people will tout safe storage laws, but those are unenforceable without constant inspections, which some draconian states supposedly have, and those laws come with other built-in problems. Plus, if I’m in crisis, locking my guns in the safe doesn’t help since I know the combination. Changing the combination is a possibility, I guess, assuming you have someone you trust to do it. Purchasing keyed storage lockers, and giving the key to someone else, could work, but who’s going to spend the money in that situation? Probably not many. Neither of those sounds like a good solution, though I suppose they’re better than nothing.
The only road forward that I can see is to destigmatize mental health concerns. That includes the courts, law enforcement, the ATF, the FBI, the media, and society as a whole. Good luck with that, though I think it’s worth the effort.
I think that gun owners feel trapped. Damned if they seek help, thanks to Red Flag and background check issues. Damned if they don’t because not seeking help likely means they aren’t getting better and may well get worse. I think that removing those perceived obstacles is the only way to possibly mitigate such a large-scale issue. The problem is that those obstacles exist for a reason. We all expect privacy from a therapist, just like we can agree that people with real mental problems should not be able to purchase firearms. But we wonder why murderous active shooters aren’t detected ahead of time while decrying the potentially harsh treatment of gun owners who need help. It’s hard to have it both ways.
The path to a solution, or at least a mitigation, is serious, ideology-free discussion and investment in mental health programs and resources. I’ll be honest, I see very little willingness to pursue either one. Mental health investment has declined dramatically over the last few decades, and it’s a hard subject that most lawmakers steer clear of. There are easier subjects on which to fundraise and pursue reelection. Mental health problems are stigmatized, even without the legal side of things. That’s not likely to change anytime soon. It’s too easy a scapegoat. And I see Red Flag laws as part of that. They’re nothing but a cop out.
And gun policy is among the most ideological issues we face today. I don’t see those discussions taking place with any kind of honesty because neither side trusts the other. At all. And honestly, I’m part of that. I’m immediately suspicious of any proposal originating from gun control advocates or the government. I expect that works both ways.
Make it Personal
Ultimately, the only conclusion I can reach is that we, as gun owners, must be responsible for ourselves. That includes our mental well-being. I’m glad I was able to reach out to my brother and grateful he responded. I found the courage, or maybe just a clear-thinking moment, to speak up. I urge you to do the same with someone you trust. Work something out. I know how hard it is. I look back at myself in that time and I don’t even recognize that guy. Those destructive thoughts seem logical to you at the time, but they aren’t. Get some help. Fortunately, we now have resources that were unavailable to me in 2001. The new National Suicide Hotline is open 24/7 and is easily reached by dialing 9-8-8 from any phone.
Being responsible for ourselves can extend to our fellow gun owners by paying attention and offering help if it’s needed. But holding someone’s guns is the easy part. Getting them help is where the rubber meets the road. Only they can decide to do that, but you can help by being their friend and not judging. This stuff is real. Numbers don’t lie.
Speaking up is one of the hardest things someone can do. Telling them to “suck it up” or “deal with it” is the exact wrong thing to do. The bootstrap theory rarely works here. They are more likely to shut down and maybe never speak up again. As gun enthusiasts, we often pride ourselves on our self-reliance, but this is a case where we need to stick together and help each other out because, despite the best efforts of some, the options are slim. This is a problem for us all, and we need to address it.
I wish I had a better answer, but I don’t. I’m no mental health expert, nor do I play one on TV. I can only speak from my personal experience. It was real and it was bad. I was literally a few minutes from going over the edge, never to return. I rarely speak about what pulled me back that day, and I won’t do it here. I’ll only say that I didn’t do it by myself. If that sounds like you, please look for a way to get help. If you know someone like that, speak up and offer your support. You may be the lifeline someone is praying for.
