Arizona Moms Respond to Tempe High School Shooting Suicide

PHOENIX, Ariz. – In response to yesterday’s shooting at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe in which an 18-year-old student shot and killed himself on campus, the Arizona chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement.

STATEMENT FROM GENEVA HABER, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER FOR THE ARIZONA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION:

“First and foremost our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the student killed and the entire Corona del Sol High School community. As a mom, I cannot fathom the pain they must be experiencing. Suicide in teens is often an impulsive act, and the availability of a gun poses a major risk. While we don’t yet know how the student obtained the gun he used to kill himself, it’s imperative that parents take the time to talk to their children about depression and suicide and also take precautions to properly secure any guns so they are out of their children’s reach.”

Additional Information About Suicide and Guns:

• Purchasing a handgun is associated with a substantially increased risk of suicide.
  
• Americans are more likely to commit suicide if they live in an area with a higher prevalence of household gun ownership.
  
• Half of all suicides in this country are committed with firearms, and 85% of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal.
  
• Suicide attempts committed with a firearm are twenty-one times more likely to result in a fatality than several other methods, including suffocation (69%), falls (31%), and poisoning/overdose (2%).