In November of 2018, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health released a report on suicide rates and firearms in the State of Utah. The main findings of the report showed that 85% of firearm deaths in Utah were suicides during 2006-2015, firearms account for half of all suicides in the state, and that gun-related homicides were overwhelmingly perpetrated by family members rather than strangers. From this data researchers claimed that lowering access to guns would reduce the number of fatal suicides in Utah without impacting the safety of its citizens. This research was commissioned by and presented to the state legislature, and has temporarily renewed the gun control discussion, but will these discussions progress into action in the stagnant Utah culture?
Representative Steve Eliason (R) proposed a bill in the 2019 General Session entitled Firearm Violence and Suicide Prevention that outlines some possible strategies for preventing suicide based on some information from the Harvard study. Among the items outlined in the bill is a directive for a coordinated effort of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health with the Bureau of Criminal Identification to “implement and manage a firearm safety program and a suicide prevention education course” that would be required for anyone attempting to renew or apply for a concealed-carry permit. According to the Harvard study, suicide prevention “focusing only on those in the hospital for a suicide attempt will miss 90% of suicides,” and since 50% of suicides in Utah in 2016 were firearm deaths, implementing programs at places where guns are bought or when gun owners must renew permits should be a good first step in suicide prevention.
Unfortunately, although Rep. Eliason stated that his bill is “probably the only bill that has the word ‘firearms’ in it that I think we can get a unanimous vote on,” his bill has been stalled in the Rules Committee for months, along with a bill from fellow representative Stephen Handy (R). Handy’s “red flag” proposal would create a list of court orders that would allow individuals deemed in crisis to have any weapons confiscated. The Harvard study does not entirely support this method of harm prevention, stating that “people who died by guns were least likely (6%)… to have been treated for self-harm in the year prior to their suicide death” which implies that there would not be a large percentage of people that would have the opportunity to have their weapons confiscated. However, there is no doubt that Handy’s bill would do more good than harm, as those 6% of people could possibly be helped.
While those two republican-sponsored bills for gun safety are stalled in committees, two other large bills that would loosen gun restrictions have quickly made their way out of committee and through the legislative session. The implications of the Harvard study appear to have been heard by some in the Utah legislation, however it appears that the topic of gun control is still too polarizing to implement any effective legislation at this time. Hopefully the two republican representatives can manage to push their bills through committee and into reality to start the movement toward social change. On the progress of gun control legislation in Utah since the Parkland shooting last year, Rep. Handy said “I think that we’ve done a lot of talking.”
Citations:
House Bill 0017: Firearm Violence and Suicide Prevention
Salt Lake Tribune: One Year After Parkland
Salt Lake Tribune’s report on Harvard study
Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health Suicide and Firearm Injury in Utah
Data/Society/Decision-making Spring 2019 