(PS11-56) Firearm Ownership and Safe Storage Practices Among Suicidal Texas-based College Students

There is a considerable risk of suicide when firearms are easily accessible. As the most fatal suicide method, there is a considerable gap in research regarding firearm ownership and storage among college students in states where firearms are allowed on campuses and are easily accessible. This study aims to identify (1) the prevalence of firearm access among suicidal college students living in Texas, (2) the prevalence of unsafe storage of firearms, and (3) the correlates of ownership and unsafe storage practices.

A sample of 489 students recruited from a Texas public university (M = 21.31 years, 74% cisgender women, 48.3% heterosexual, 46.6% White/Caucasian/European American) completed an online survey on Qualtrics assessing their suicide risk, firearm ownership/access, and firearm storage practices.

Over one-fifth (n = 103, 21.1%) reported owning a firearm. Of those who owned firearms, 35.9% (n = 37) reported that all firearms were unlocked, whereas 42.7% (n = 44) reported that none of them were unlocked. Likewise, 25.2% (n = 26) of participants reported that some of the firearms were loaded, 15.5% reported that all of them were loaded (n = 16), and 56.3% (n = 58) reported that none of them were loaded. There was a significant difference in age between those owning firearms and those who do not (t[134.31] = -2.15, p</em> = .033, d = .31), such that those who own firearms were older (M = 22.42, SD = 6.27) than those who do not own a firearm (M = 21.01, SD = 3.95). There were also significant differences in firearm ownership across marital status (χ²[5] = 13.91, p = .016, V = .17) and race (χ²[7] = 16.58, p = .020, V = .18), such that married individuals were more likely than expected to own a firearm, and Black/African American participants reporting lower rates of firearm ownership than expected. In terms of suicide-specific correlates, there was a significant difference in firearm ownership across primary suicide methods (χ²[16] = 29.02, p = .024, V = .24) such that in firearm owners, more people than expected reported firearms as the primary method they would use for a suicide attempt. There were no other significant sociodemographic (gender, sexual orientation) or suicide-specific (suicidal thoughts, plans, and past attempts) correlates of firearm ownership/storage practices.

These findings underscore the importance of addressing proper lethal means storage among college students. Considering the prevalence of unsafe storage practices, as well as the lethality of firearms, all suicide risk assessment protocols should include comprehensive evaluations of access to firearms, including ownership and storage. Likewise, an emphasis should be placed on lethal means counseling, particularly among older and married college students in states where firearm ownership is common.