By Assemblywoman Amy Paulin 
September is Suicide Prevention Month. What many people don’t realize is that firearms are the leading cause of suicide in the United States. More than half of all gun deaths each year are suicides. This reality underscores why we must address suicide prevention and gun control together.
We hear about shootings so often it’s almost numbing — in supermarkets, office buildings, churches, schools, synagogues. My heart breaks for the innocent victims and their families in the most recent tragedies at the 345 Park Avenue office building in New York and Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota. No one and nowhere is immune.
What we know is that when we limit gun access, we limit gun deaths. Japan proves this point. A nation of more than 120 million people, it sees roughly 10 gun deaths in an entire year. By comparison, the United States, with a population of 340 million, suffers nearly 40,000 gun deaths annually. Ten versus forty thousand. And suicides represent the majority of those deaths. Between 2018 and 2024, approximately 57% of gun deaths in the U.S. were suicides. New York has some of the most stringent gun control laws in the country, but we must do better when it comes to preventing suicide. And it comes down to one thing: access.
I’ve introduced two bills to restrict gun access. A.1210 would establish a mandatory ten-day waiting period for all firearm purchases. This “cooling-off period” would give people time to reconsider impulsive actions, including suicide. Research shows most suicide attempts are made within hours of the decision, and states with waiting period laws have significantly lower suicide rates.
I’ve also introduced A.198, which would establish a voluntary waiver of the right to purchase a firearm. This approach, already in place in states like Washington, has proven highly effective in reducing suicides by allowing individuals to impose a self-selected pause. By delaying access to guns, we save lives.
As Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, I’ll keep fighting for stronger state gun laws, and I’m confident New York will continue to lead. But we face a Congress that prioritizes gun manufacturers over people. Blood is on the hands of those in Washington who block meaningful federal gun control laws and limit what we can do in Albany.
How many times can we send “thoughts and prayers” while innocent people are killed? In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, let’s hold accountable those in elected office who allow easy access to guns — and demand real solutions instead of empty words.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin represents New York’s 88th Assembly District.
