Will they take away my firearm?

As a mental health provider focused on suicide prevention, formerly on a Department of Defense (DoD) installation, and now for the Veterans Health Administration (VA), I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard some variation of “I can’t tell my doctor these things because they’ll take away my firearm.”

So, bottom line up front, a mental health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, etc.), your primary care doctor, really anyone in the healthcare field, cannot legally remove, or have your firearm removed. Only law enforcement personnel has the authority to make that decision and take action on it (unless you’re on a military installation in which case you’re subject to the policies of that installation and Service regarding privately owned firearms). In fact, even in most states with Extreme Risk Protection Orders, medical or mental health professionals are not legally able to initiate the firearm removal process, it has to come from the individual, a family member, or the police themselves.

One of the pillars of behavioral and medical care is patient confidentiality—healthcare providers are legally and ethically bound to protect their patient’s privacy, with just a few exceptions involving life-threatening circumstances. Unless you state that you’re in imminent danger of harming yourself or someone else, what you say during a medical appointment must stay in that appointment. Military providers are bound to those same rules, with the exception that commanders may receive information about a Service member’s fitness for duty, and there is a formal process for how and what information can be shared. Thus, a behavioral health provider cannot reach out to the police with concerns about your firearms, except in those extreme situations where they feel that danger is imminent. Doing so, outside of those emergency situations, would violate federal Privacy Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements.

So, why does this myth persist? I think that, in part, this is because we’ve all heard a story where someone’s firearms may have been removed…but it’s likely that there are nuanced details of those situations that aren’t always appreciated. The other piece is that it’s common practice for a behavioral health provider to ask a Service member or Veteran, pretty bluntly, if they own a firearm or have access to them. That question has a very specific purpose regarding risk assessment for suicide. But because it can sometimes be asked without much context as to ‘why’ it’s being asked, it can seem kind of threatening.

What’s likely to happen if you say “yes” to that question? Well, the provider is most likely going to ask some follow up questions like whether you practice safe firearm ownership behaviors, if you have had recent thoughts about harming yourself or someone else, and where you keep your firearm (in a safe/lockbox/locked up or not) and how you store it (loaded/unloaded). Talking about these things will not result in you losing your firearm, but it will likely result in a conversation about your safety. The provider may even ask you to spend some time creating a plan for how to minimize the chances that your firearm will be used to end your own life. This is a collaborative process, and you have a say in everything that goes into that safety plan.

Safety is an interesting word in this context and can mean totally different things for the firearm owner than what the healthcare provider is intending. Typically, when a behavioral health provider talks about firearm safety, we’re talking about the use- and storage- of firearms in a manner with the lowest likelihood of accidental or intentional self-harm.

And the reasons why are pretty clear. Seventy percent of all Veteran suicides occur from self-directed use of a firearm. The same is true in about 65 percent of military suicides, and 50 percent of civilian suicides. In Washington State, for example, 78% of all firearm related deaths in any given year are suicides. Further, we know some really important pieces of information about suicide:

- 71% of those who’ve attempted suicide routinely report that the impulse/thought occurred no more than an hour prior to the behavior, and 24% say those thoughts happened only 5 minutes before the behavior.

- It’s commonly reported that feelings of regret/second guessing/and an immediate change in perspective occur in the moments immediately following a suicide attempt. In fact 90% of those who survive a suicide attempt don’t go on to later die by suicide.

- In the majority of cases (over 70%), removing highly lethal methods of planned suicide does not result in another method being used.

It seems pretty clear to me that safe storage of firearms can save lives. And safe storage shouldn’t be news to anyone who’s learned Colonel Cooper’s Four Universal Rules of Safe Firearm Handling:

1. All guns are always loaded (Even if they’re not, treat them as if they are).
2. Never let a gun point at anything you don’t intend to shoot, kill, or destroy.
3. Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are on target and intend to fire.
4. Be sure of your target plus what is around, and behind, it.

The values imparted by these rules extend to keeping ourselves safe from suicide. If you’re struggling, talk to a professional. Have a conversation about firearm safety, and make sure that they know what you consider safe, and what you don’t. Be willing to listen to why they may be approaching safety a little differently, and understand that any changes they suggest do not have to be permanent, but they may be exactly what’s needed in that moment.

And remember, in a moment of crisis you can always reach out to the Military and Veteran Crisis Line at [login to see] . Press 1 to reach a Military/Veteran responder.

For anyone who wants to find help in their area, there is a treatment locator available here https://rly.pt/VCLresources

You can also text them as well, just text 838255