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
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Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 62
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I have been amazed by how things have changed in the Marine Corps. When I served in the mid-60's. as a grunt in 1-6 we lived in squadbays. The entire platoon in bunks 36" apart. We had a wall locker and a locker box. We had rifle racks in the middle of the squad bay where all of our rifles were secured. Each Marine had the lock and key to his own rifle. We could take it out of the rack to clean or to pracitce drill any time we wanted to. The only weapons that were secured in the Bn. armory were crew served wepons and the pistols. I cannot recall anyone committing suicide or homicide
When I transfered to Marine Barracks Bangor in Washington state we kept out rifles in our personal wall lockers. Again no suicide, homicide or missing weapons. What has changed? When did it happen?
When I transfered to Marine Barracks Bangor in Washington state we kept out rifles in our personal wall lockers. Again no suicide, homicide or missing weapons. What has changed? When did it happen?
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I must wonder where the government goes to find people who recommend disarming armed force members. If the member in question is not stable enough to own a firearm he/she should not be in military service.
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Morning All. Yes, I know. A bit late on responding. I couldn't read anymore after the first paragraph. Typical studies, blame the weapon. Soldiers need more training in weapons safety?? By changing the age of who can buy isn't going to stop a Soldier who wants to end it. We do have Suicide Prevention classes, what more do they want? COC tells us if one feels that way to come talk with them and get them help. And there's a huge stigma placed on the Soldier.
Already in place for Soldiers owning a firearm on post. Must be registered with the MPs station (memory on who exactly is slipping), The Co Commander also signs the registration form. Soldiers in the barrack have to keep it stored in the arms room. Soldier must clear it thru his COC to bless off for getting it out of the arms room, Soldier must coordinate with the arms room to open at a certain time and time to bring it back to storage. Also if the Soldier is going to a range or whatever, they have to have their registration form on hand, especially if stopped on post.
The failure is on DOD for not providing enough medical personnel to treat Soldiers, especially in mental health. After 20 years of a continued war on two fronts. The post had a BDE size element with support units...say about 5000 Soldiers, now back and they only have a total of 6 mental health specialists, Soldiers fall thru the cracks. Then when a Soldier gets an appointment, they throw drugs at them, different combinations, They issue a 30 day supply and to schedule their next appoint which by the way is 6-7 months or more out. What happens? They self medicate either with over the counter or illegal drugs. Some turn to alcohol. Some can't take it any longer and they take their own life. And I only say this from personal experience. No..No, not the suicide thing. And definitely not the illegal drugs.
Already in place for Soldiers owning a firearm on post. Must be registered with the MPs station (memory on who exactly is slipping), The Co Commander also signs the registration form. Soldiers in the barrack have to keep it stored in the arms room. Soldier must clear it thru his COC to bless off for getting it out of the arms room, Soldier must coordinate with the arms room to open at a certain time and time to bring it back to storage. Also if the Soldier is going to a range or whatever, they have to have their registration form on hand, especially if stopped on post.
The failure is on DOD for not providing enough medical personnel to treat Soldiers, especially in mental health. After 20 years of a continued war on two fronts. The post had a BDE size element with support units...say about 5000 Soldiers, now back and they only have a total of 6 mental health specialists, Soldiers fall thru the cracks. Then when a Soldier gets an appointment, they throw drugs at them, different combinations, They issue a 30 day supply and to schedule their next appoint which by the way is 6-7 months or more out. What happens? They self medicate either with over the counter or illegal drugs. Some turn to alcohol. Some can't take it any longer and they take their own life. And I only say this from personal experience. No..No, not the suicide thing. And definitely not the illegal drugs.
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Any excuse to go after guns. The left is scared of veterans. The left should look in the mirror to see the reason for the high suicide rate.
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Suspended Profile
You don't have a weapons problem!!!! You have a alcohol/depressant problem!!!! Please consider removing all alcohol sales on military installations for a 5 year span. I guarantee suicide rates will drop. Its sad that society as a whole in america worships big alcohol because the government leads you to believe its full of fun times... Its not if you have an addictive personality.
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It is a mental problem not a gun problem! Guns, personal or not, are not allowed in barracks in the Navy anyway, they had to be stored in the armory The only gun fault related problem I can see was when the Colt .45 1911 was being used because people were accidentally shooting themselves because they are not double action pistols, so they went to the 9mm Berettas, which I didn't favor. People today are just kind of stupid. They need to be taught to be tough and not whinny liberals. It is a mind set that people die by their own hand. I believe there are only two types of people in the world in two catagories, those who have homicidal tendencies and those who have suicidal tendencies. The military doesn't need the latter! They need to be trained otherwise or let go! The military is a war machine, not just a 9 to 5 job as some think it should be!
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The big "S" is a silent killer. I know many that have done it and never let on what is going on in their private life. The situation/s in their life is unknown to you unless they reach out to you for help, but that doesn't always work either. So preventing Suicide is a task that can be a success or a failure.
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