title: Suicide, guns, and public policy.
abstract: Suicide is a serious public health concern that is responsible for almost 1 million deaths each year worldwide. It is commonly an impulsive act by a vulnerable individual. The impulsivity of suicide provides opportunities to reduce the risk of suicide by restricting access to lethal means.  In the United States, firearms, particularly handguns, are the most common means of suicide. Despite strong empirical evidence that restriction of access to firearms reduces suicides, access to firearms in the United States is generally subject to few restrictions.  Implementation and evaluation of measures such as waiting periods and permit requirements that restrict access to handguns should be a top priority for reducing deaths from impulsive suicide in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and the New Mexico Clinical Research & Osteoporosis Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA. elewiecki@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: E Michael
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lewiecki
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D005389:Firearms / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D011640:Public Policy; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D000092864:Suicide Prevention