Posted on Mar 1, 2023
DOD should improve gun safety and take other “high-priority” steps to reduce service member suicides, independent panel says
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The Pentagon should improve gun safety on military property and take other “high-priority” steps to curb rising rates of service member suicides, according to a report issued late last month by an external review panel set up by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
The report, released Feb. 24 by the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC), recommended nearly 130 policy changes to improve safety across the service branches.
Recent DOD data showed that the rate of death by suicide among service members has ticked up since 2011. Even though the 2021 rate was lower than that recorded in the prior year, DOD said 519 active-duty, National Guard and reserve service members died by suicide, with younger enlisted men being most at risk.
DOD can reverse these trends by implementing the SPRIRC’s recommendations, many of which overlap with and add to reforms put forth previously by DOD, public health and clinical experts, according to the committee, led by Dr. Gayle Y. Iwamasa, national director of inpatient mental health services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“One conclusion of the SPRIRC,” the authors of the report wrote, “is that persistently elevated suicide rates in the DOD result in no small part to the DOD’s limited responsiveness to multiple recommendations that have been repeatedly raised by independent reviewers and its own experts.”
Gun safety measures merit DOD’s high-priority attention, panel argues
Although bound to be politically controversial, gun safety measures comprised about one-third of the 23 so-called high-priority recommendations — those “most likely to result in the largest reductions in suicide and have an overall benefit to service members and the DoD.”
Gun-related recommendations “are not strategies for gun control, but they are strategies focused on enhancing safety,” said committee member Dr. Craig Bryan, clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry at Ohio State University, during a media roundtable discussion transcribed by DOD. They included:
• Repealing and replacing a law that prohibits the defense secretary from collecting or recording any information related to firearms or ammunition privately owned by a service member or DOD civilian employee.
• Standardizing DOD-approved firearm safety training so it covers topics such as suicide prevention, safe gun use and storage, and other best practices.
• Implementing a seven-day waiting period for any firearm purchased on DOD property.
• Implementing a four-day waiting period for ammunition purchases on DOD property after the purchase and receipt of a firearm bought on DOD property.
• Raising the minimum age to 25 years for purchasing firearms and ammunition on DOD property.
• Requiring anyone living on DOD property in military housing to register all privately owned firearms with the installation’s arming authority and to securely store all privately owned firearms in a locked safe or with another locking device.
• Establishing DOD policy restricting the possession and storage of privately owned firearms in military barracks and dormitories.
Given “that a significant percentage of on-base suicides involve firearms purchased on base at military exchanges,” Bryan added, “taking steps to slow down convenient access to highly lethal methods, like firearms, is the single most effective strategy for saving lives.”
Joining Iwamasa and Bryan in undertaking the comprehensive review of DOD suicide prevention programs were other experts in public and mental health, epidemiology, sexual assault, lethal means safety, service member and family support services, and civilian employment. Thousands of service members and their families and civilian and support service providers also offered insight.
Other recommendations
Grouped according to high, moderate and low priority, the recommendations were connected to the following four pillars of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention:
• Healthy and empowered individuals, families and communities.
• Clinical and community preventive services.
• Treatment and support services.
• Surveillance, research and evaluation.
They focused on restructuring suicide prevention training, providing additional resources to help service members access existing support services, promoting lethal means safety and emphasizing leader stewardship in addressing service member needs.
Other high-priority recommendations included addressing in training the risks of excessive alcohol use; centralizing responsibility for core suicide prevention activities common to all services; modernizing suicide prevention programs across the military career cycle; reducing delays in pay; and expediting the hiring of behavioral health professionals.
In a Feb. 24 news release, however, the Pentagon didn’t commit to implementing any specific policy change.
“The Department of Defense,” the statement said, “recognizes that suicide is a complex issue with no single cause or solution but is committed to promoting the well-being, health, and morale of their Total Force and preventing suicide within their ranks.”
Learn more
Read the full list of SPRIRC recommendations: https://rly.pt/3y37hpa
Read the DOD news release: https://rly.pt/3EN70L4
Read the media roundtable transcript: https://rly.pt/3KMOuWI
Read the latest DOD report on rates of death by suicide in the military: https://rly.pt/3J0Vhd9
The report, released Feb. 24 by the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee (SPRIRC), recommended nearly 130 policy changes to improve safety across the service branches.
Recent DOD data showed that the rate of death by suicide among service members has ticked up since 2011. Even though the 2021 rate was lower than that recorded in the prior year, DOD said 519 active-duty, National Guard and reserve service members died by suicide, with younger enlisted men being most at risk.
DOD can reverse these trends by implementing the SPRIRC’s recommendations, many of which overlap with and add to reforms put forth previously by DOD, public health and clinical experts, according to the committee, led by Dr. Gayle Y. Iwamasa, national director of inpatient mental health services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“One conclusion of the SPRIRC,” the authors of the report wrote, “is that persistently elevated suicide rates in the DOD result in no small part to the DOD’s limited responsiveness to multiple recommendations that have been repeatedly raised by independent reviewers and its own experts.”
Gun safety measures merit DOD’s high-priority attention, panel argues
Although bound to be politically controversial, gun safety measures comprised about one-third of the 23 so-called high-priority recommendations — those “most likely to result in the largest reductions in suicide and have an overall benefit to service members and the DoD.”
Gun-related recommendations “are not strategies for gun control, but they are strategies focused on enhancing safety,” said committee member Dr. Craig Bryan, clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry at Ohio State University, during a media roundtable discussion transcribed by DOD. They included:
• Repealing and replacing a law that prohibits the defense secretary from collecting or recording any information related to firearms or ammunition privately owned by a service member or DOD civilian employee.
• Standardizing DOD-approved firearm safety training so it covers topics such as suicide prevention, safe gun use and storage, and other best practices.
• Implementing a seven-day waiting period for any firearm purchased on DOD property.
• Implementing a four-day waiting period for ammunition purchases on DOD property after the purchase and receipt of a firearm bought on DOD property.
• Raising the minimum age to 25 years for purchasing firearms and ammunition on DOD property.
• Requiring anyone living on DOD property in military housing to register all privately owned firearms with the installation’s arming authority and to securely store all privately owned firearms in a locked safe or with another locking device.
• Establishing DOD policy restricting the possession and storage of privately owned firearms in military barracks and dormitories.
Given “that a significant percentage of on-base suicides involve firearms purchased on base at military exchanges,” Bryan added, “taking steps to slow down convenient access to highly lethal methods, like firearms, is the single most effective strategy for saving lives.”
Joining Iwamasa and Bryan in undertaking the comprehensive review of DOD suicide prevention programs were other experts in public and mental health, epidemiology, sexual assault, lethal means safety, service member and family support services, and civilian employment. Thousands of service members and their families and civilian and support service providers also offered insight.
Other recommendations
Grouped according to high, moderate and low priority, the recommendations were connected to the following four pillars of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention:
• Healthy and empowered individuals, families and communities.
• Clinical and community preventive services.
• Treatment and support services.
• Surveillance, research and evaluation.
They focused on restructuring suicide prevention training, providing additional resources to help service members access existing support services, promoting lethal means safety and emphasizing leader stewardship in addressing service member needs.
Other high-priority recommendations included addressing in training the risks of excessive alcohol use; centralizing responsibility for core suicide prevention activities common to all services; modernizing suicide prevention programs across the military career cycle; reducing delays in pay; and expediting the hiring of behavioral health professionals.
In a Feb. 24 news release, however, the Pentagon didn’t commit to implementing any specific policy change.
“The Department of Defense,” the statement said, “recognizes that suicide is a complex issue with no single cause or solution but is committed to promoting the well-being, health, and morale of their Total Force and preventing suicide within their ranks.”
Learn more
Read the full list of SPRIRC recommendations: https://rly.pt/3y37hpa
Read the DOD news release: https://rly.pt/3EN70L4
Read the media roundtable transcript: https://rly.pt/3KMOuWI
Read the latest DOD report on rates of death by suicide in the military: https://rly.pt/3J0Vhd9
Pentagon
Gun Control
Suicide
Resources
DoD
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 62
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I normally don’t reply to those. I’ll enjoy reading them, but after the things have gone, the way they have in the recent near passed in my opinion the increase in veteran suicide and the biggest impact on Veteran suicide is the VA it’s self getting something accomplished inside the VA is almost impossible. The VA has always wonderful programs to get them to do anything with them, is a battle. I have battled many of these for other veterans here in Alabama. I requested a travel audit over a year and a half ago. Accomplishments office requested a travel audit for me over a year ago three weeks ago I got a call from travel, and they told me that they finally got around to my request I asked him what day it was and they told me it was in 2021. They told me that my request would be completed within the next two weeks here. It’s been over a month and nothing has been done a congressman can’t get them to do it I can’t get them to do it the last time I was successful at doing this they owe me $4000 in backpay if they’re on me that there are many other people this kind of money and a lot of it stop push the issue you just take what you get and that’s it.
I can go on about many things that I’ve had similar situations with if you complain too much, you find that you get removed from secure messaging are things have been ordered from prosthetics, but the purchase order never leaves the facility
I can go on about many things that I’ve had similar situations with if you complain too much, you find that you get removed from secure messaging are things have been ordered from prosthetics, but the purchase order never leaves the facility
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Would be nice if Command actually did their job an took care of their people.
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El gobierno debería preocuparse por darle la mejor arma a sus ciudadanos desde los inicios de su formación escolar hasta la universitaria y en la formación intelectual del núcleo familiar y social. No se asusten por esta proposición, porque es la única manera de proteger a todas las personas de cualquier afrenta que la vida les presente, porque me estoy refiriendo a las armas de "la razón" en donde se anida la mejor respuesta ante la solución y enfoque que puede aportar nuestro pensamiento disciplinado y orientado a la socialización de cada ciudadano en el entorno familiar para ir con decoro y dignidad ante la nación a participar activamente en el resguardo del territorio con un sentido más humano, porque tenemos que humanizar a la humanidad para que la Democracia sea efectiva y motivo de orgullo con un sentido muy claro que en lugar de llevar al suicidio a la persona lo motive a ser mejor cada día de su vida porque existe en su ser el arma más efectiva, el cultivo de la Razón desde la temprana edad. Esto implica muchos aspectos ideológicos que aún no se aplican a la educación y formación de la gran comunidad de ciudadanos etc.
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No need to worry about that pesky 2nd Amendment. Big brother knows what is best for you. Certainly will drive more troops off post and do their gun purchasing there as well. Suicide prevention discussion is the only item that has merit in this proposal.
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take your influence score and put it put it we3re the sun never shines--take me off your web site
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what can i say---more ways to take our guns away--look out for the united nations gun grab--after aoll did they not teach us that in boot camp--go figure--look out for WOKE
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Shamefull to try and hide an anti-2A policy in suicide prevention.
Any leader who thinks that the once or twice that most units get to use the range is enough to make their personel good marksman,is a foolish leader.
1. Practice, practice, practice, is what is needed for good marksmanship. A privately owned firearm, is the best way to do it. When it's your own weapon, you are more willing to learn about and maintain it. You have the potential, to build better skills and habits.
2. With regular use, personal fire arms can help the SM to build outside, better, associations to loud noise. Make them less distracted. Better memories to associate with the sound. Less fear and pain to go with it.
3. Do I really need to associate the increased proficiency of having your own firearm with the "A well regulated malitia".
I have no problems with safety being a major part of weapns training.
I am more than open to discussing what to do about SM's who are at risk, but why are they trying to punish everyone else?
Seriously, when the medical professions push so many pills for every ailment, especially with regard to mental illness, does anyone really think that reducing firearms is going to do anything to reduce suicide deaths?
We are talking prevention here. We are not discussing the prevention of accidents. We are talking about preventing a Distinct, Focused, Intentional, and irrevokable, act. I once had a friend pulled from a psych hold and put in an isolation cell at the county lockup, just to have him hang himself with his sheets. If the desire is there, it doesn't take much resourcefulness to get the job done. It doesn't take much, only one deliberate action.
Where is the discusion for NCO training to hold critical incident stress debriefings?
Where is the general awareness training?
Where is the talk of reducing the stigma of mental illness, or the weakness of depression.
No recomendation to have mental health workers assigned to lowest unit levels. Sometimes the chaplain just isn't there or can't give the help that is needed.
I have been there. I know how hard it is to ask for help.
• Repealing and replacing a law that prohibits the defense secretary
A violation, that can't be any more obvious.
Aren't all those "recommendation" already being enforced on all bases? Would any of them actually do anything to slow someone, who is determined?
I guess the "Common Sense" isn't really there.
Any leader who thinks that the once or twice that most units get to use the range is enough to make their personel good marksman,is a foolish leader.
1. Practice, practice, practice, is what is needed for good marksmanship. A privately owned firearm, is the best way to do it. When it's your own weapon, you are more willing to learn about and maintain it. You have the potential, to build better skills and habits.
2. With regular use, personal fire arms can help the SM to build outside, better, associations to loud noise. Make them less distracted. Better memories to associate with the sound. Less fear and pain to go with it.
3. Do I really need to associate the increased proficiency of having your own firearm with the "A well regulated malitia".
I have no problems with safety being a major part of weapns training.
I am more than open to discussing what to do about SM's who are at risk, but why are they trying to punish everyone else?
Seriously, when the medical professions push so many pills for every ailment, especially with regard to mental illness, does anyone really think that reducing firearms is going to do anything to reduce suicide deaths?
We are talking prevention here. We are not discussing the prevention of accidents. We are talking about preventing a Distinct, Focused, Intentional, and irrevokable, act. I once had a friend pulled from a psych hold and put in an isolation cell at the county lockup, just to have him hang himself with his sheets. If the desire is there, it doesn't take much resourcefulness to get the job done. It doesn't take much, only one deliberate action.
Where is the discusion for NCO training to hold critical incident stress debriefings?
Where is the general awareness training?
Where is the talk of reducing the stigma of mental illness, or the weakness of depression.
No recomendation to have mental health workers assigned to lowest unit levels. Sometimes the chaplain just isn't there or can't give the help that is needed.
I have been there. I know how hard it is to ask for help.
• Repealing and replacing a law that prohibits the defense secretary
A violation, that can't be any more obvious.
Aren't all those "recommendation" already being enforced on all bases? Would any of them actually do anything to slow someone, who is determined?
I guess the "Common Sense" isn't really there.
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Addressing only one portion of the problem.
Ignoring the WHY.. SM commit suicide.
Ignoring the WHY.. SM commit suicide.
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what they said: “The Department of Defense ... recognizes that suicide is a complex issue with no single cause or solution but is committed to promoting the well-being, health, and morale of their Total Force and preventing suicide within their ranks.”
This is what I read: "We know there is a problem and we can't be arsed to find a workable solution that doesn't include violating your rights because it's a hell of a lot easier to take away your 2A rights than addressing some of the other BS happening in the military that we KNOW affects morale and drives suicidal ideation. This decision/tactic makes us look like we're doing something and we care about the issue."
This is what I read: "We know there is a problem and we can't be arsed to find a workable solution that doesn't include violating your rights because it's a hell of a lot easier to take away your 2A rights than addressing some of the other BS happening in the military that we KNOW affects morale and drives suicidal ideation. This decision/tactic makes us look like we're doing something and we care about the issue."
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25 years old to purchase on DoD property? Yet a 17 year old can be handed an automatic weapon for duty? Explain the logic to me.
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