In recent years Montana has seen one of the largest increases in suicides nationwide. The number of suicides involving firearms drove that increase.
The Kaiser Family Foundation analyzed preliminary federal mortality data. Researchers found that suicides nationwide hit a record high in 2022 at roughly 50,000 people.
Montana had the second-highest suicide rate in the country behind Wyoming. Montana also experienced a 42% increase in suicides from 2011 to 2021, one of the largest in the country.
Firearms are now the most common method of suicide nationwide, representing over half of all deaths.
Researchers said that growth correlates with higher rates of gun ownership in states like Montana.
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