Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people in the U.S. with notable disparities among sexual and
gender minority youth and youth of color. Removing access to firearms among young adults can significantly
reduce risks for suicide in this population. However, little research has explored demographic variation in
firearm access and associated mental health outcomes among young adults, which can identify subgroups at
greater risk for suicide. This study examines the relationship between firearm access and suicide-related
outcomes in a nationally representative sample of young adults ages 18 to 29 (N = 1,077). Specifically, this
study explores demographic (e.g., race, gender identity, sexual orientation), household (e.g., size, housing
type), and geographic (e.g., urbanicity, region) variation in firearm access and the role of contextual risk (e.g.,
youth violence exposure, substance misuse) and protective (e.g., social support) factors associated with
mental health symptoms. Findings will be translated for violence prevention and harm-reduction strategies
among young adults and used to develop an R01 study to further disentangle relationships among risk and
protective factors, firearms, and mental health outcomes, centering variation based on race, gender identity,
and sexual orientation across stages of the life course.
