Ashley McRae, a counselor, regularly meets with Wyoming’s miners as part of local suicide prevention efforts. The miners initially approach her, and the topic, with skepticism.
But Wyoming, like other red and rural states, has a problem. Its suicide rate is about double the national figure. It usually ranks in the top three states for suicide, along with Montana and Alaska. The two biggest factors, experts say, are the isolation of living in a sparsely populated state and easy access to guns. Suicide attempts are typically more impulsive than the common understanding suggests, and those made with guns are far more likely to be lethal than attempts with other methods.
Denial also plays a role. As I traveled across the state this year, I was surprised by how many people contested the value of mental health care or even the concept of mental illness. In the deeply red state, some people dismiss a focus on mental health as a liberal cause. When Wyoming considered additional state-level funding for the national 988 crisis lifeline, one lawmaker, whose son died by suicide, argued that suicide was a problem more for churches, not government, to deal with. In blue enclaves, I’m often annoyed by the prominence of therapy-speak; in Wyoming, I almost missed it.
Some experts I spoke with attributed the distrust around mental health care to Wyoming’s culture. Much of the state’s image — and much of what makes the state unique and great — is tied to a rugged individualism that many Americans associate with the once-unexplored frontier.
That perspective pushes people to try to tough out their problems, not seek help, said Bill Hawley, a suicide prevention expert in the state. “It’s that old ‘cowboy up’ mentality,” he told me. “Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”
In a state that glorifies “tough guy” personas, admitting to a problem can feel dangerous, said Bruce Brown, a businessman in Gillette who has struggled with suicidal thoughts. He feared that his friends and colleagues would think less of him if they found out about his depression. “In that culture, you don’t show any weakness or you’re pretty much shunned,” he said.
Wyomingites who have struggled with suicidal thoughts told me they had to confront their own mental health stigma before they could get better. Mr. Brown said he had to hear from three different people that he had a serious problem before he agreed to temporarily give up his guns to friends.
Will Wagner, an electrician in Laramie, said he didn’t truly believe in the concept of mental health until he woke up in a hospital after he shot himself. “I was taught that you didn’t cry, you didn’t talk about your feelings,” Mr. Wagner explained. “If you had a problem, you just got over it.”
This attitude is especially problematic in such an isolated state. When the nearest therapist or hospital could be hours away, someone has to truly want help to get it. Many simply don’t seek it out.
Gov. Mark Gordon has prioritized suicide prevention since his second term began in 2023. He has focused on combating stigma around mental illness and raising awareness about suicide. So far, the results are disappointing. Suicides actually increased — again — in 2024, the most recent year for which there’s data. Changing culture is hard. Yet it is a necessary first step.
What about the role of guns? When I raised the issue across two dozen interviews in the state, people visibly cringed. They spoke about their fear of the government taking away their firearms. They pointed out that Wyoming’s strong gun culture is not driven just by hobbyists; ranchers need firearms to protect cattle from predators, and people want some means for self-protection in a state where a police officer may not be anywhere nearby.
Still, the facts are clear: Places with more firearms have more suicides.
Ideally, the state would pass a red flag law. Such a policy would let the vast majority of gun owners keep their weapons but allow law enforcement and family members to petition a court to temporarily take away someone’s firearms during a crisis. States have typically passed these laws in response to mass shootings, but the best evidence suggests they’re most effective for reducing suicides. That largely reflects the fact that America’s biggest gun problem is a suicide problem: About 60 percent of all gun deaths are suicides.
Wyoming, however, has banned the enforcement of red flag laws. This year, it toughened its ban. Those opposing red flag laws claim the policies would let the government freely seize people’s firearms, even though these measures require court oversight. The concern is typical of the gun control debate, in which even moderate measures tend to inspire hyperbolic backlash.
Some state groups are instead focused on safe storage, encouraging people to lock up their guns and, preferably, separate their ammunition from their firearms. If someone who’s suicidal has a few extra minutes to think about what he’s doing, he might change his mind.
Doctors and therapists said they also try to persuade people to give up their firearms to friends, family members or trusted businesses in times of crisis, much like Mr. Brown did. Legal changes could make this easier. For example, some businesses worry about their own liability if they hold someone’s guns and return them, and the gun owner then shoots himself or others. The law should shield businesses from liability in those instances.
In Wyoming, these voluntary measures are more politically realistic than something like a red flag law. But they are also less effective. And the voluntary approaches still require acknowledging that mental illness is real and suicides are preventable. Much of Wyoming is not there yet.
When meeting with miners, Mrs. McRae, the counselor, still hears people tell one another to “cowboy up.” That advice fails too many Wyomingites. If the state wants to lose its status as one of the worst for suicides, something has to change.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
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