Gun-related U.S. suicides reached record highs for the third straight year in 2023
About 58% of all gun deaths were suicides
An American killed themselves with a gun every 19 minutes
FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Gun-related suicides in the U.S. reached record highs for the third straight year in 2023, a new report on gun violence says.
About 27,300 gun-related deaths — 58% of all gun deaths — were suicides in 2023, according to research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
That means an American used a gun to kill themselves every 19 minutes, researchers said.
“Suicide is a growing crisis in the U.S. and guns are driving that crisis,” lead author Rose Kim said in a news release. She’s an assistant policy advisor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
Overall, guns were involved in 46,728 deaths in the U.S. in 2023. That’s one death every 11 minutes.
Regarding firearms-related suicides, the report says that:
Rates were higher in rural regions (63%) than in large metropolitan areas (50%).
The state with the highest gun suicide rate, Wyoming, had about 10 times the gun suicide rate of Massachusetts, which had the lowest.
Men were 7 times more likely than women to kill themselves with a gun.
The gun suicide rate among men 70 and older was by far the highest.
The firearm suicide rate among Black youth 10 to 19 more than tripled and among Hispanic youth more than doubled during the past decade.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
“Unfortunately, guns are much more deadly than other suicide attempt methods,” co-author Dr. Paul Nestadt, medical director of the Bloomberg School’s Center for Suicide Prevention, said in a news release.
To combat this, researchers recommended the adoption of policies to prevent children’s access to guns, restrict the ability to purchase guns quickly, and make it easier to take firearms away from people at a higher risk for violence.
“Strategies that put time and space between guns and those at high risk of suicide are proven to save lives,” Nestadt said.
Total gun homicides fell nearly 9% from the year before, from 19,651 to 17,927 between 2022 and 2023, researchers found.
Despite this, 2023 gun homicides represented the fifth-highest total on record, they noted.
For the fourth year in a row, guns were the leading cause of death among young people ages 1 to 17, with 2,566 total deaths in 2023, researchers found.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
