Suicide is the leading cause of gun-related deaths in Pennsylvania.
Now, the state is offering $1 million in grants to help communities prevent these deaths.
There were more than 1,900 gun deaths in Pennsylvanians in 2022, and more than half were suicides, according to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
"Firearm suicide is an urgent and rising public health issue across our Commonwealth, particularly affecting youth, Black Pennsylvanians, and rural communities," said commission executive director Kirsten Kenyon.
The grants are funded through the federal Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program and are open to nonprofit organizations, local governments, and colleges. Projects must aim to reduce firearm suicides through efforts such as public education, safer gun-storage programs, support for suicide interventions, or data collection.
The commission said proposals that serve high-need communities, such as rural areas and counties with suicide rates above the state average, will receive priority consideration.
The Commission on Crime and Delinquency expects to award four to six grants. Regional or statewide projects may get up to $500,000 while local projects may get up to $150,000.
Interested groups can learn more about the grants during a webinar on July 21. Grant applications are due Sept. 9, and awards will be decided by Dec. 10.
In a report outlining program funding, the commission noted that access to firearms significantly raises the lethality of suicide attempts.
"In Pennsylvania, over 90% of self-inflicted gunshot-related hospitalizations result in death," the report said. "These statistics underscore a need for more comprehensive, trauma-informed, and collaborative suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies in Pennsylvania, particularly as it relates to firearm suicides."
Allegheny County's suicide rate has been falling. The county saw 12.8 deaths as a result of suicide or self-inflicted injury per 100,000 people between 2019 and 2023, according to data from the National Institutes of Health. That's an average of 169 deaths per year.
Though the number of deaths is lower than in Allegheny, suicide rates in Washington and Westmoreland counties have been rising during the past few years. Washington County had 16.8 deaths per 100,000 between 2019 and 2023, while Westmoreland had 15.9 per 100,000.
Copyright 2025 90.5 WESA