New Everytown Report Finds Veteran Suicide Crisis Accounts for One in Ten U.S. Gun Deaths

Veteran Suicide Rates Surged 67% From 2001 to 2023, Claiming Over 100,000 Lives—18 Times the Number of Service Members Killed in Action in That Time 

NEW YORK – A new report by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund highlights a 67 percent increase in the veteran firearm suicide rate between 2001 and 2023. The report, titled “Those Who Serve: Addressing Firearm Suicide Among Military Veterans,” reveals that this escalating crisis has claimed over 100,000 lives since 2001 – a toll 18 times higher than the number of U.S. service members killed in action over the same period. Today, veterans are three times more likely to die by gun suicide than non-veteran adults, with firearms accounting for three out of four veteran suicides and representing one in ten of all U.S. gun deaths.

It is critical to recognize the profound role gun ownership plays in this growing crisis. The average firearm-owning veteran owns six guns, yet a national survey found that the majority do not store all of their firearms locked and unloaded. To curb this epidemic, the report outlines evidence-based policy recommendations, including promoting secure gun storage, utilizing Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), and increasing public awareness regarding the inherent dangers of firearm access during a crisis.

“These findings underscore what we’ve long known: we need immediate and urgent action to halt this devastating crisis. Every year, thousands of veterans die by gun suicide, but evidence-based solutions can create a critical buffer between a person in crisis and a firearm,” said Sonali Rajan, Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “We know that 96 percent of people who attempt suicide by other means survive and that the vast majority of survivors never go on to die by suicide. Putting time and space between a person in crisis and a firearm is quite literally the difference between life and death.”

“It’s astounding that veteran gun suicides represent 10% of all gun deaths in America,” said Chris Marvin, veteran lead at Everytown for Gun Safety and a combat-wounded military veteran. “It could not be more clear that easy access to firearms is the primary cause of veterans’ high suicide mortality rates. The federal government and many veteran service organizations actively resist discussing the role of guns. Only through common sense policy and wide-spread culture change around guns will we make an impact on the veteran suicide crisis.”

Key findings from the report include:

• Veterans make up one in ten of all U.S. gun deaths, and comprise nearly one in five (20%) of all adult firearm suicides in the United States, averaging more than 4,600 firearm deaths every year.
• The prevalence of firearm use makes the veteran suicide crisis uniquely lethal. An average of 18 veterans die by suicide in the United States every single day – 13 of them by firearm.
• The use of guns in veteran suicides is actively rising. In 2001, two-thirds of veteran suicides were by gun; by 2023, that figure climbed to three-quarters.
• The veteran suicide rate is now highest among 18- to 34-year-olds. This marks a massive shift from 2001, when the suicide rate was highest among veterans aged 35 to 54.
• Firearms are increasingly used in suicides among female veterans. While the proportion of suicide deaths by firearm increased 11 percent among male veterans between 2001 and 2023, gun suicides among female veterans spiked by 31 percent over the exact same period.

The findings of this report are especially pressing, as recent federal actions have impacted veterans’ benefits and access to physical and mental health care. Workforce reductions and return-to-office policies in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have disrupted mental health care access, created doctor shortages, and worsened existing issues for veterans trying to get needed care. Additionally, with veterans comprising nearly 30 percent of the federal civilian workforce, the recent cuts across government agencies have put veterans out of work and created extra barriers to healthcare access.

Compounding these healthcare barriers, in March 2026, the Trump administration removed VA records from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) on veterans who have been diagnosed with serious mental health disorders. Under longstanding federal law, these individuals are not allowed to purchase or possess firearms, and the VA was required to report them to NICS in the first instance. The removal of these records, without vetting, puts these vulnerable veterans at even greater risk, allowing them to pass a background check and obtain a firearm. These combined federal actions eliminate critical safety checks, directly undermining the government’s responsibility to protect those who served.

Firearm suicide is a preventable public health crisis. More information on gun suicide is available here. Additional resources for gun suicide survivors are available here.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org/chat to chat with a counselor from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress anywhere in the US.