For 2nd year, nearly 70% of all Minnesota gun deaths are by suicide

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PLYMOUTH, Minn. – For the second year in a row, suicides represent nearly 70 percent of all gun deaths in Minnesota. 

Protect Minnesota Executive Director Rashmi Seneviratne, says many suicides by firearm are concentrated in rural parts of the state and often involve older men. 

As farming communities deal with economic stress, Seneviratne says guns handed down from previous generations might still be in the family home. She says promoting safe gun storage or trigger locks can add seconds to a volatile situation that might prompt an individual to reconsider their actions. 

Seneviratne also cites a lack of employment and educational opportunities as factors that can lead someone to take their own life.