In King County, between 2020 and 2024, 57 children died by gunshot. According to county public health data, 14 of those deaths were due to suicide.
In other words, guns kills kids. And make it hard for kids to access to guns is a critical part of both homicide and suicide prevention. And preventing both kids of firearms deaths is the goal of a gun buyback event being held by Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the King County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, Sept. 12. Organizers say they timed the buyback to be part of National Suicide Prevention Month.
The buyback is structured as a drive-thru: participants stay in their vehicles and will be directed to a station where they turn in firearms and receive a gift card, with the amount varying by the type of weapon surrendered. Volunteers on-site will also distribute mental health resources.
Both agencies aim to get unwanted guns out of homes before they’re used in a crisis. Firearms are the most lethal method of suicide nationally across all age groups, with death rates exceeding 90%, and firearm suicides account for 66% of King County’s suicide deaths so far in 2026. County health officials said in release that simply having a firearm in the household is linked to higher suicide risk.
The buyback comes just after the release of the most recent update of the Washington Healthy Youth Survey 2025, which collected information from 213,000 students participated in 872 schools across all 39 Washington counties. The survey focuses primarily on students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. On the issue of youth thoughts about suicide, the survey is clear: many kids consider it:
- 10.1% of 10th graders reported considering suicide in the year prior to be surveyed, and 7.6% reported making a suicide plan — both nearly identical to 8th grade rates (10.4% and 7.5% respectively).
- 4.7% of 10th graders reported attempting suicide in the prior year — slightly lower than 8th graders (5.4%)
- 57.1% of 10th graders reported feeling anxious, nervous, or on edge in the two weeks prior to be surveyed— notably higher than 8th graders (49.7%) and the highest anxiety figure in the sheet; 44.1% said they couldn’t stop or control their worrying.
- 25.8% of 10th graders reported feeling sad or hopeless for two or more weeks, up slightly from 8th grade’s 23.0%
- Risk is sharply uneven by demographic group among 10th graders: transgender students reported feeling sad/hopeless at 57.6% and questioning students at 48.4% — more than double the statewide 10th-grade average of 25.8%. Students identifying as having a disability were also far higher (40.3% vs. 15.0% for those without), as were students from migratory working families (32.0% vs. 25.0%).
“Suicide prevention, like gun violence prevention, is a shared responsibility that belongs to all of us,” said Eleuthera Lisch, director of Public Health’s Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention, in a statement. “Access to lethal means, specifically firearms, is a critical factor in suicide risk. Lisch said he hopes the event empowers local residents to “take proactive steps to protect their loved ones and reduce suicide deaths in our county.”
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall added that the event is one piece of a broader effort.
“Getting any gun off the streets is an important step in the right direction,” Cole-Tindall said. “We know often guns in homes and suicides go hand in hand, and we will work to do whatever we can do to decrease this. This is a community issue, and we must all work together toward a solution.”
Event Details
- When: Saturday, Sept. 12, 8 a.m.–noon
- Where: Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Ave. N., Shoreline
- Format: Drive-thru; participants remain in their vehicles
- Compensation: Gift cards, amount based on firearm type surrendered More info: Event webpage (per release); safe storage guidance is available through Public Health’s Lock It Up program
