Differences & trends of methods in suicide were examined using death certificate data from 1980 through 1989, with special attention to comparisons of firearm vs non-fiream suicides. Findings: 78.7% of suicides were firearm victims. Whites has a higher risk of using firearms than nonwhites with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.2. The OR for males compared to females was 1.8. The study reported that over the 1980’s, Alabama firearm suicides showed a small but statisically significant decline. (18 Refs.)