Preliminary Numbers Show Gun Deaths Dropped in Wisconsin in 2023

Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 -- 8:01 AM

(John Diedrich and Natalie Eilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Following a surge during the pandemic, gun deaths of every type fell in Wisconsin in 2023, driven by a drop in gun homicides in Milwaukee, according to state data.

According to John Diedrich and Natalie Eilbert with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, other categories of gun deaths, suicides, unintentional shootings and police shootings, also dropped but by smaller margins, according to data from 2023, the most recent available from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The data for 2023 is provisional, which means it may be adjusted and is not final. State data shows that suicides in Wisconsin stopped climbing in 2023, for the first time in several years.

While the new numbers signal good news, the number of firearm fatalities are still higher than they were before the pandemic. Suicides, despite plateauing, remain at a high level.

It's the latest indication that, despite efforts to drive mental health awareness, the state has yet to recover from the pandemic's toll. Sara Kohlbeck, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, called the figures "really encouraging" and pointed to anti-violence and suicide prevention programs in Milwaukee and statewide as potentially contributing to the decline.

Kohlbeck cited Milwaukee's Credible Messenger Program and 414LIFE team as examples of targeted efforts. "It's one year so we can't call it a trend, but I think we are seeing potentially some of the positive effects of these types of different programs," said Kohlbeck, director of the Division of Suicide Research and Healing at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Kohlbeck credited efforts such as the Gun Shop Project, a voluntary storage effort for gun owners experiencing a crisis, and the Be There program by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Wisconsin.

Those programs are geared toward white men over the age of 65, the largest demographic group of people dying by suicide. She noted that the gains in that category are being offset by deaths in other categories of people, including those who are younger and more diverse.

Kohlbeck and a colleague found young women, especially young Black women, are increasingly showing up at emergency departments presenting suicidal behavior and suspected suicide attempts.

Kohlbeck said many suicide prevention strategies, screenings and interventions have been developed with white, middle-aged men in mind. Looking ahead, more culturally relevant intervention models will be needed to address other demographics, but it's a "both-and situation," Kohlbeck said.

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