DENVER — Most children and teens between ages 10 to 17 who died by firearm suicide used a firearm that belonged to their parent, and often the firearm had been stored unlocked, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition.
Sofia Chaudhary, MD, FAAP, will present preliminary findings from her research, "Who are the Firearm Owners in Youth Firearm Suicide?" during the conference, held at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30.
The retrospective cohort study of 1,021 firearm suicides by youth ages 10-24 years was based on data from nine states from 2018-2021 reported to the CDC National Violent Death Reporting System. Compared to suicides by young adults (ages 20-24 years), the gun used in child suicide (ages 10-17) was 10 times more likely to be owned by a parent, the study found.
Among 18-24-year-olds (N=622), 69% owned the firearm and 14% used a firearm owned by a parent. About 70% of all suicides occurred in a home or apartment, according to research.
"As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I see far too many youth who have attempted suicide in my practice," said Chaudhary, also an assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "I plan to use this information to counsel parents and youth about the importance of secure firearm storage as a means to prevent youth suicide."
Among suicides with known firearm storage status, 67% were stored unlocked and 78% were stored loaded, while only 9% were stored locked and unloaded (the most secure method of storage). By age, for 10–17-year-old decedents, 60% of firearms were stored unlocked and 70% were stored loaded, while for 18–24-year-old decedents, 69% of firearms were stored unlocked and 81% were stored loaded. A majority of youth with known mental health problems who died by firearm suicide used their own firearms, Chaudhary said.
"This speaks to the importance of secure firearm storage among youth with mental health problems, a group known to be at elevated risk for suicide."
The Children's Hospital Association Provided statistical support to the Children's Hospital Association Research in Gun Related Events (CHARGE) Collaborative to conduct this work.
