• Posted August 26, 2025

Firearm-Related Suicides Increasing Among Senior Women

Senior women are becoming more likely to use a gun to end their lives, a new study says.

Firearms are the leading method of suicide among seniors 65 and older, especially men, researchers say. In fact, senior men are 13 times more likely to kill themselves with a gun than senior women.

But suicides by gun are increasing rapidly among older women, according to research published Aug. 25 in JAMA Network Open.

Guns were involved in nearly 40% of suicides among senior women in 2023, up from about 35% in 2014, researchers report.

“We found alarmingly high proportions of firearm suicides to all suicides among both older women and older men, and the trend among older women outpaced that of older men,” lead researcher Ziming Xuan said in a news release. He’s a professor of community health sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Women represent nearly half of all new gun owners in the United States, and suicide prevention strategies will need to adapt, researchers said.

For the study, researchers analyzed suicide data for seniors 65 and older from 2014 through 2023 kept by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There were 63,559 suicide deaths by firearms during that period, with men accounting for more than 91% of the fatalities, results show.

Among women, firearm suicides increased by about 5 percentage points during that period, while gun-related suicides among men remained relatively stable.

In 2023, firearms accounted for nearly 78% of suicides among U.S. senior men, while in 2014 the rate was 77%.

“Firearms have become a disturbingly common method of suicide for older adults, both men and women,” said senior researcher Mark Kaplan, a research professor of social welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

“When firearms are involved, older adults are less likely to survive a suicide attempt, as the chances of rescue in these situations are significantly reduced,” he said in a news release.

State-by-state, firearm suicides among seniors vary substantially, with southern states having the highest proportions of suicides by gun, results show.

Alabama and Mississippi had the nation’s highest rates for both men (93% and 91%) and women (68% in both states), researchers found.

“States with stricter firearm laws, such as New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and California, tended to have fewer firearm-related suicides among older adults,” Kaplan said.

Doctors should be attuned to any mental health problems like depression among seniors and be ready to address their suicide risk, Kaplan said.

“Health care providers should engage older patients experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts by inquiring about their access to firearms,” Kaplan said. “Open discussions regarding firearm safety can be a crucial step in ensuring their well-being.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, confidential, free help is available from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

More information

The National Council on Aging has more on suicide risk among seniors.

SOURCE: Boston University School of Public Health, news release, Aug. 25, 2025