Firearm-involved suicides reached record levels in the U.S. in 2022, new CDC data shows

The rate of suicides involving guns in the United States has reached the highest level since officials began tracking it more than 50 years ago, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Source: “U.S. Rate of Suicide by Firearm Reaches Record Level,” New York Times, Nov. 30).

According to a new CDC report, the rate increased by more than 10% in 2022 compared with 2019, and in some racial and ethnic groups, the rise was significantly steeper, especially among Native Americans. Overall, about 27,000 of 50,000 suicides were carried out by gun in 2022.

Federal researchers involved in the analysis suggested that the coronavirus pandemic might have exacerbated many of the known risk factors for suicide generally, which include social isolation, strained relationships, and drug and alcohol disorders. At the same time, outside experts noted, the increased rates also correlated with another trend seen during the acute phase of the pandemic: rising gun sales.

The rate of suicide by any method has increased by one third in the past two decades, according to federal data. More than half of those now involve firearms, the report said.