Gun ownership tied to suicide deaths

Screw that. Yes, in Japan guns are nearly nonexistant. As such their gun suicide rate is one fiftieth (1/50th) of that in the US.

But their overall suicide rate is TWICE as high.

Access to guns doesn't CAUSE suicide.

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I always thought that this was a non issue. People should have the right to die when, and how they want. Yes to their loved ones it's tough and some people have some real issues but it's their choice.
 
I admit I haven't gone and checked the statistics, but I suspect they are not actually complete BS.... I could be wrong though. The notion that a suicide attempt with a gun will be more successful certainly sounds plausible. But, indeed, as others have noted - including the article... so what? Guns don't cause suicide or suicidal thoughts.

The important thing to note here though is, based on witnessing testimony at the public hearings and "gun violence forums", the issue of suicide has become one of the prime issues in the gun control narrative. The premise that having a gun in the home is dangerous because it makes suicide attempts more likely to succeed is something I've heard Linsky and others claim several times. When I heard Linsky speak, that was actually one of the prominent points of his whole gun control argument, not so much the violent crime issues.

The good news, I think, is that this means the facts are winning. It has long been touted that the Brady campaign and other's statistics for "gun violence" are tainted with things like suicides and justifiable homicides. What I think we are seeing now is that they are being forced to own that and they are trying to spin it to their benefit. The moral of the story: keep the pressure up - its working.
 
Screw that. Yes, in Japan guns are nearly nonexistant. As such their gun suicide rate is one fiftieth (1/50th) of that in the US.

But their overall suicide rate is TWICE as high.

Access to guns doesn't CAUSE suicide.

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Isn't there a suicide Forrest in Japan where like thousands of people have hung themselves or lept off a bridge or something I remember seeing it on the news years back.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara

If you google "suicide forest" there's tons of stuff about it it's actually nick named that.
 
Aokigahara - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The most used method of suicide there is hanging and drug overdose. The manner in which one commits suicide is moot. If someone wants to off themselves they will.
Men hang themselves more often, women use pills.

Here's the thing. Like many things in life, correlation ≠ causation. Owning a gun does not encourage nor cause one to commit suicide, but it does make the act of suicide easier and increases it's likelihood of success when one chooses to go forth with the act of taking their own life. It's far easier to put out a pistol and eat it than it does to set up a ligature using a rope and chair. But guns don't cause suicide, and the slightly less degree of effort to commit suicide utilizing a firearm hardly justifies laws intended to prevent an act easily achieved by other means.

Consequently, the following is worth listening to WRT suicide stats:

Freakonomics » New Freakonomics Radio Podcast: ?The Suicide Paradox?
 
I don't click on links like that, I'm not going to drive traffic there.

I've had three people that I was close to take their own lives. Suicide leaves decimation, it harms loved ones permanently.
 
In MA in 2011 there were over 6,000 suicide attempts. About 475 were successful, and 124 of those were by gun. The state did not report the number of failed attempts by gun, the vast majority are "poisoning.

#1 approach is by hanging, #2 is "poisoning" usually by drug overdose.

Gun succeeds are the one thing neither pros or antis usually want to talk about. Pros because it makes gun owners look crazy. Antis because if suicides are removed from homicide statistics (they're 55% nationwide IIRC) gun homicides are a much less significant public safety issue.
 
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In MA in 2011 there were over 6,000 suicide attempts. About 475 were successful, and 124 of those were by gun. The state did not report the number of failed attempts by gun, the vast majority are "poisoning.

#1 approach is by hanging, #2 is "poisoning" usually by drug overdose.

Gun succeeds are the one thing neither pros or antis usually want to talk about. Pros because it makes gun owners look crazy. Antis because if suicides are removed from homicide statistics (they're 55% nationwide IIRC) gun homicides are a much less significant public safety issue.

If people want to take their own life they will find a way to do it by any means possible.

It has nothing to do with firearms.
 
I've known or have known of several who committed suicide - handgun, rifle, pills, hanging and exhaust - comes down to choice, period. I'm just conjecturing here but I think it's a vey personal thing. The last thing someone does for whatever their reason and I think it's less of a convenience factor and more of a planned choice.

Horrible, horrible, horrible, but one can't blame the method. Desperate 2A haters trying to take advantage of a horrible thing to suit their own agenda. I HATE these suicide stats. [banghead]
 
The mandatory Federal 3 day waiting period laws were studied intensely when they ended.

Zero change in suicide rates nationwide. Methods shifted to adapt to alternate means.
 
Do you want to cut an acre of grass with a 40" deck rider and a 6 pack of beer or a pair of kid's safety scissors? Exactly.


If you decide you want to kill yourself a gun is a great tool. It's most likely going to be extremely fast and virtually painless. You can't blame a tool for an act a person commits.
 
I'm probably in the minority who believes that taking one's own life should also be a fundamental right. Just be courteous enough to have enough life insurance in force over two years to provide for those who depend upon you.
 
Do you want to cut an acre of grass with a 40" deck rider and a 6 pack of beer or a pair of kid's safety scissors? Exactly.


If you decide you want to kill yourself a gun is a great tool. It's most likely going to be extremely fast and virtually painless. You can't blame a tool for an act a person commits.
Open mouth, insert double-barrel 12-gauge and squeeze both triggers simultaneously. Worked for Ernest Hemingway. Painless? Most likely. Leaves a big gory mess behind for some bereaved family member to see? Definitely.
 
Men hang themselves more often, women use pills.

Here's the thing. Like many things in life, correlation ≠ causation. Owning a gun does not encourage nor cause one to commit suicide, but it does make the act of suicide easier and increases it's likelihood of success when one chooses to go forth with the act of taking their own life. It's far easier to put out a pistol and eat it than it does to set up a ligature using a rope and chair. But guns don't cause suicide, and the slightly less degree of effort to commit suicide utilizing a firearm hardly justifies laws intended to prevent an act easily achieved by other means.

Consequently, the following is worth listening to WRT suicide stats:

Freakonomics » New Freakonomics Radio Podcast: ?The Suicide Paradox?[/QUOTE
Exactly my point. These fools that want to paint guns as a cause for suicide should really have their credentials questioned.
 
So in conclusion, you're more likely to be successful in a suicide attempt if you use a firearm. That's all they came up with in their study. Ironically won't that be an argument in favor of gun ownership? If you get to the point where you don't want to live anymore, you're more likely to be successful in ending your life if you use a firearm compared to other means.

I'm wondering if there was any significant data that they missed in the cases of intentional deaths that were ruled as accidents (overdoses, falls, poisonings, drownings, etc). If someone doesn't leave a note and ends up on the pavement 30 floors below their balcony, was it an accident or suicide?
 
Like some others stated, I suspect that when a gun is used for suicide it's recorded accurately--and must be since gun shot wounds require reporting. Yet other methods, I think are somewhat lax. When someone dies without obvious trauma, the next of kin is usually asked, "do you want an autopsy?" And sometimes the answer is just a simple, "nope." And it's recorded as natural causes. Maybe it was a bottle of pills, maybe it was a heart attack, maybe it was just their time--who knows. I guess if someone wanted to dig trough the numbers you could find out how many people died and never had a cause of death determined by medical reasoning. I bet there's more of those deaths than any other, which makes me think the death data is speculation at best.

Secondly, the suicide by gun for police is astronomical. Where's the ban on that? No offense to the officers here but so often it's the Chief of Police telling us that it's for OUR own good--well how about your own good?
 
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These fools that want to paint guns as a cause for suicide should really have their credentials questioned.

I have an acquaintance who lost a friend by means of 'paint ball' - again, NOT the method! It's the controlled selection and message of the last act....in my never humble opinion. GOD, I wish I new nothing of this topic.
 
People who live near a water source are more likely to drown than those who do not (sarcasm). If someone really wants to check out (not the old cry for help)...then they will. They will find a way. A gun generally ensures you get it done quickly w/o pain. Kind of makes sense doesn't it?
 
Open mouth, insert double-barrel 12-gauge and squeeze both triggers simultaneously. Worked for Ernest Hemingway. Painless? Most likely. Leaves a big gory mess behind for some bereaved family member to see? Definitely.

I suppose most people who commit suicide are either to mentally unstable or selfish to care.
 
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