A new analysis of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data finds that firearms are involved in roughly three-quarters of all veteran suicides — a share that has grown substantially over the past two decades — highlighting a persistent gap between the suicide rates of veterans and the broader American public.
Why It Matters
Veteran suicide remains one of the most pressing public health challenges tied to national security and military service. Veterans die by suicide at higher rates than civilians, and the data suggest the problem is becoming more concentrated around firearm access, with younger veterans and women among the groups seeing the fastest increases in risk.
Tennessee, like many states with large military populations and high rates of civilian gun ownership, faces particular stakes in how this data shapes policy responses at the state and federal levels.
What Happened
Everytown for Gun Safety released an analysis drawing on VA data that tracks veteran suicide trends from 2001 through 2023. The findings show that firearms were involved in approximately two-thirds of veteran suicides in 2001. By 2023, that share had risen to about three-quarters.
The data indicate that roughly 18 veterans die by suicide each day on average — and that about 13 of those deaths involve a firearm. Veterans now account for nearly one in five firearm suicide deaths recorded nationwide, despite making up a far smaller share of the overall population.
“It could not be more clear that easy access to firearms is the primary cause of veterans’ high suicide mortality rates,” said Chris Marvin, the veteran lead at Everytown for Gun Safety.
The analysis also found that veterans ages 18 to 34 now have the highest suicide rate within the veteran population — a shift from older age groups that have historically driven those statistics. Men continue to account for the majority of veteran suicide deaths, though female veterans have seen their firearm suicide rates climb more rapidly in recent years.
By the Numbers
The figures paint a stark picture of how firearms factor into veteran suicide compared with other methods and compared with the civilian population:
75% — share of veteran suicides involving firearms by 2023, up from about 67% in 2001.
67% — increase in the veteran firearm suicide rate between 2001 and 2023, compared with a 35% increase in the nonveteran adult firearm suicide rate over the same period.
~90% — estimated fatality rate for suicide attempts involving firearms, making them far more lethal than most other methods.
50% — approximate share of veterans who report owning firearms, compared with roughly 20% of nonveteran adults — a rate about 2.5 times higher.
11% — share of the veteran population that is female, a group the analysis flags as experiencing a disproportionately rapid increase in firearm suicide rates.
Studies cited in the analysis link gun ownership to a roughly threefold increase in suicide risk — a figure that takes on added significance given veterans’ higher rates of firearm ownership.
Zoom Out
The trend lines for veterans diverge meaningfully from those of the general population. While firearm suicide rates have risen among American adults broadly, the increase among veterans has been nearly twice as steep over the same two-decade span.
Beyond firearms, the analysis identifies multiple compounding risk factors — including mental health conditions, substance use, chronic pain, financial strain, and the difficulties of transitioning out of military service. Access to stable housing, steady employment, and consistent mental health care are also cited as variables affecting veteran suicide risk.
The data arrive as Congress continues debating veterans’ mental health funding levels and the scope of VA outreach programs. Similar analyses have prompted some states to advance legislation encouraging voluntary firearm storage options and waiting periods as suicide-prevention measures, though such proposals remain contested on Second Amendment grounds.
What’s Next
The Everytown analysis is likely to inform ongoing congressional discussions around veteran mental health appropriations and VA program design. At the state level, advocates are expected to use the findings to press for expanded access to mental health services for veterans and, in some states, to renew debates over firearm storage legislation.
Federal agencies, including the VA, have previously launched campaigns encouraging safe firearm storage among veterans at risk, a strategy that avoids direct restrictions while attempting to reduce access during periods of acute crisis.