College life is already stressful enough. We don’t need firearms on Missouri campuses

On Dec. 1, 2021, Missouri state Rep. Chuck Basye, a Republican from District 47, introduced HB 1751, which would allow college students to bring firearms onto university campuses, if passed. This bill has significant implications for the mental health and suicide rates of college students by increasing access to firearms in an already vulnerable population.

As a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, I am well aware of the unique stressors of being on a college campus. I recently completed my adult psychiatry residency training and am currently a first-year child and adolescent psychiatry fellow. I have seen firsthand the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students’ mental health. I have also published research on the impacts of Missouri’s firearm laws on youth and young adult suicide, and I worry that introducing firearms on college campuses in the state would worsen the risk of completed suicide in this population.

Firearm suicide rates in college-age Missourians are already at an all-time high. Missouri experienced a 71% increase in suicides in 10- to 24-year-olds from 2007 to 2018. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also shows rates of firearm suicides in 18- to 22-year-old Missourians have tripled recently, going from 5.6 in 2013 to 15.9 per 100,000 of these young people in 2020.

For many who attempt suicide, the time between making a plan and attempting is less than 10 minutes. Once the crisis has passed, most people who survive one attempt do not die by suicide later. Access to lethal means during moments of crisis can greatly increase the risk of suicide completion, and firearms are the most lethal means available.

Transition to college and college itself is stressful. Students must balance school, work and sometimes children. Many are under enormous financial pressures. Some struggle to manage social pressures and experience homesickness. Some experiment with alcohol or other substances that can affect their mental health and increase risk for self-harm. It’s not surprising that many first episodes of thoughts about suicide emerge during this period.

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the stresses on students’ mental health. Virtual schooling has left students feeling isolated while dealing with the pandemic’s negative impacts, such as job losses and family illness or death from COVID-19. Many college students struggle to access mental health services as demand for these services skyrocket. Delays in care can lead to the progression of symptoms, including worsening suicidal thoughts or even attempts.

Missouri has the seventh-highest firearm death rate in the country, and 49% of them are suicides. There are no established firearm purchase waiting periods or safe gun storage regulations in Missouri. In the last two decades, Missouri lawmakers have weakened the state’s gun laws, making firearms more readily available. Research studying the impact of these changes has shown troubling trends in firearm suicide rates.

Missouri’s repeal of the permit-to-purchase handgun law was associated with a 23% increase in firearm suicide rates. Our study, published in JAMA Network Open, linked the permit-to-purchase repeal to a 22% increase in firearm suicide rates in 19- to 24-year-olds. We also found that lowering of the minimum age for concealed carry from 21 years to 19 years old was associated with a 7% increase in firearm suicides in that same age group.

There are many reasons people own firearms: self-protection, hunting or because firearms are part of their identity. It’s important to balance these reasons with individual and public safety.

I care deeply about my city and want to see every Missouri college student flourish. HB 1751 would worsen Missouri college student suicide rates by increasing access to lethal means when young people are in crisis. I strongly urge legislators to carefully consider the data on the impacts of Missouri’s firearm laws on suicide, and act to protect these young lives.