Suicide ideation, suicide risk, and firearm storage practices and attitudes among U.S. uniformed law enforcement...

U.S. uniformed law enforcement officers' (ULEOs') intention to purchase firearms increased recently, coinciding with increasing suicide risk, but research in this area remains sparse. We examined firearm storage practices and attitudes among U.S. ULEOs and their relation to suicide ideation (SI) and suicide risk.

Currently employed U.S. ULEOs (N = 271) completed a cross-sectional online-based survey in June and July 2023.

On average, ULEOs "agree" with positive firearm statements. Regarding firearm storage practices, 54.6% always store a firearm at home, 35.2% always keep a firearm loaded, 35.2% always store their firearm with a locking device, and 50.2% always safely store firearms in a locked location. Higher SI was associated with lower odds of always storing a firearm at home, loaded, and in a secure location, whereas higher suicide risk was associated with lower odds of always storing a firearm at home and in a secure location.

ULEOs reported higher positive firearm attitudes and rates of always storing a firearm loaded and never using a locking device than other samples in the literature. Our findings highlight the importance of SI and suicide risk in safe firearm storage practices, which could aid in firearm death and suicide prevention efforts.