Shasta County suicide prevention focuses on safe gun storage
7 reported
In Shasta County, California, a region with high gun ownership and high suicide rates, public health officials are focusing on “means safety” — distancing potentially suicidal individuals from lethal means like unlocked firearms — rather than discouraging gun ownership itself. The county’s suicide rate reached an all-time high of 33.3 per 100,000 in 2022, triple California’s average, and guns were the most common method. In 2024, 43 suicides occurred, an increase of about a quarter from the previous year, with three-quarters of victims being men and nearly all using a firearm. The county’s You Matter Shasta initiative has distributed about 200 gun safes through free giveaways at gun ranges and among Spanish and Mien-speaking communities, while the county approved about 4,688 active concealed carry gun permits over the past two years. Local officials and bereaved families are working to address the issue, with county supervisor Matt Plummer aiming to cut the suicide rate in half. Kelly Rocha, whose father died by firearm suicide in 2019, said she wants to stop the cycle of suicide and alcoholism in her family.
What’s reported
Shasta County’s suicide rate reached 33.3 per 100,000 in 2022, triple California’s average.
In 2024, 43 suicides occurred in Shasta County, an increase of about a quarter from the previous year.
Three-quarters of people who died by suicide in Shasta County in 2024 were men, and nearly every one used a firearm.
The county has distributed about 200 gun safes through its You Matter Shasta initiative.
The county approved about 4,688 active concealed carry gun permits over the past two years.
Bill Rocha died by firearm suicide in 2019; his daughter Kelly Rocha said he was the third man in the Rocha line to die by suicide.
County supervisor Matt Plummer said he wants to cut the suicide rate in half and bring it in line with the state average.
Misconceptions
The article notes that people often have misguided understandings of safety, such as believing that being able to reach a firearm quickly to protect against an intruder is more important than storing it in a lockbox. Studies cited suggest Californians in homes with firearms were significantly more likely to be victims of homicide in their homes.
Key figures
Bill Rocha: died by firearm suicide in 2019
Kelly Rocha: daughter of Bill Rocha
Marcia Ramstrom: local suicide crisis counselor
Amy Barnhorst: associate director of the Centers for Violence Prevention at UC Davis
Lindsay Heuer: education specialist with Shasta County’s public health team
Matt Plummer: Shasta County supervisor
Sources: The Guardian
