Preventing Firearm Suicide During the Pandemic and Social Unrest

The COVID-19 pandemic and the social unrest since the killing of George Floyd have spurred a rise in firearm purchases — and a concern among mental health professionals that it may lead to a rise in the suicide rate. Michael Anestis, an associate professor at Rutgers School of Public Health and the executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center — one of a few such state-funded centers in the nation — discusses these concerns and some practical steps that can be taken to lessen that risk. To read the full story.