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> In the US, 60% of firearm deaths are from suicide. How many suicide deaths would happen with fewer firearms available? I suspect a large portion of the suic

> In the US, 60% of firearm deaths are from suicide. How many suicide deaths would happen with fewer firearms available? I suspect a large portion of the suicide victims may not even be the owner/purchaser of the firearm used. Among all the methods, suicide by firearm is awful because it's so effective. Without an available firearm, attempting suicide by another method might be something that could be recoverable with some intervention after the attempt. Seems like a buyback could reduce the opportunity for deaths and injuries due to suicide attempts.

agensaequivocum 4y ago
South Korea has a much higher suicide rate and virtually no firearms.
- deleted 4y ago
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- ihattendorf 4y ago
  That's irrelevant. How do you know it wouldn't be higher if there were more firearms? Too many variables.
aksss 4y ago
The US has only very recently started to eclipse other developed nations in suicide rate, and you can probably point to twenty years of war and the 2008 financial collapse as having a significant role to play in this. Maybe social media too. But gun ownership (access to firearms) is not in any way correlated with high per capita suicide rates. For many decades you might have been able to show inverse correlation. If people want to suicide, they'll suicide.
Dracophoenix 4y ago
Every other suicide method has a higher chance of rendering an individual comatose, disabled, or permanently disfigured. The side effects of a failed first attempt would be an incentive for the pursuit of a successful second. > Seems like a buyback could reduce the opportunity for deaths and injuries due to suicide attempts. Attempting to reduce deaths will only increase permanent injuries. That will certainly be a burden on the medical system which comes as an added expense on the willfully living. If people want to kill themselves in the least painful and most effective way they can afford, they shouldn't be prevented. It's tortuous to deny a person the right to dispose of his own life as he sees fit by means of his own property.

agensaequivocum 4y ago

South Korea has a much higher suicide rate and virtually no firearms.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
ihattendorf 4y ago
That's irrelevant. How do you know it wouldn't be higher if there were more firearms? Too many variables.

aksss 4y ago

The US has only very recently started to eclipse other developed nations in suicide rate, and you can probably point to twenty years of war and the 2008 financial collapse as having a significant role to play in this. Maybe social media too. But gun ownership (access to firearms) is not in any way correlated with high per capita suicide rates. For many decades you might have been able to show inverse correlation. If people want to suicide, they'll suicide.

Dracophoenix 4y ago

Every other suicide method has a higher chance of rendering an individual comatose, disabled, or permanently disfigured. The side effects of a failed first attempt would be an incentive for the pursuit of a successful second. > Seems like a buyback could reduce the opportunity for deaths and injuries due to suicide attempts. Attempting to reduce deaths will only increase permanent injuries. That will certainly be a burden on the medical system which comes as an added expense on the willfully living. If people want to kill themselves in the least painful and most effective way they can afford, they shouldn't be prevented. It's tortuous to deny a person the right to dispose of his own life as he sees fit by means of his own property.