Last month, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., sent a searing letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough in which he wrote that he found it “unfathomable that the veteran suicide rate, tragically, has not budged.” He accused the VA of satisfaction with the status quo, and questioned whether the “Office of Suicide Prevention leaders are capable of carrying out VA’s top clinical priority?”
The letter completely missed the mark. The VA has been actively searching for ways to combat the problem — particularly in addressing firearm suicides, which account for 73% of veteran suicide deaths. Far from displaying complacency, it has spent a decade building a productive partnership with the firearms industry, recognizing that protecting gun rights and preventing suicides are complementary — not opposing — goals. At the same time, the committee has blocked firearm suicide legislation. To achieve meaningful reductions in veteran suicides, Bost should prioritize passing these critical measures.
Research shows that reducing the availability of lethal means during personal crises often determines survival. Many suicide attempts are motivated by an individual becoming briefly overwhelmed rather than because of meticulous planning. By helping someone get through the high danger period without ready access to lethal means, their risk of dying by suicide significantly decreases not only immediately but also over the long term.
By Russell Lemle
