In 1988, 18 181 firearm suicides accounted for 53% of the firearm deaths in the United States,’ outnumbering firearm homicides by almost 5000. Firearms accounted for 60% of all suicides.1 However, relatively little is known about the types of firearms used in suicides. Nationwide, the specific type of weapon used is not recorded on death certificates in two thirds of firearm suicides.1 The three studies that have examined the choice of weapons in firearm suicides focused on urban counties.2-4 We report on the types of firearms used in firearm suicides in a rural state, Iowa, from 1980 through 1991. In addition, we test the hypothesis that the observed frequency of use of handguns, rifles, and shotguns in firearm suicides reflects the availability of each of these weapons