Gun ownership and suicide rates

[Tootie]

Is buying a gun a suicidal act?

I think it is.......at least for the guy who tries to take it away from me or who tries to rape/rob me.

In all my 45 years I have never know 1 person who committed suicide or tried to commit suicide with a gun. Pills, yes; hanging, yes; jumping in front of a train, yes; car wreak, yes. I know of 1 person "they" say killed himself with a gun, but the friends and family know better, he was stepping on someones (bent nose) toes and they made the problem go away. You would think that the front door being jimmied open would have been a clue. Great work PMPD.

[w1cked]

Good read. The author seems to be one of the few sane ones left in mass media.

[Brown-Bear]

I do believe that guns are used more often in SUCCUESSFUL suicides and I'll tell you why I capped it. Women attempt suicide more often, but men are much more sucessful. In my expeirence with suicide calls as an EMT, women take a route that normally leaves them an "out" or a way to be rescued. Taking sleeping pills, when they know someone is coming hom soon, slitting their wrists (the wrong way), and a few other less thatn lethal ways.

When a man decides to kill himself, he will employ a much dramatic and violent way. Men eat bulletts, jump off of buildings and bridges. I have even seen the after math of a Si pacoo(spelling) the traditional asian way of maintaing honor while ending ones life. Men are more SUCCESSFUL based on the way the do it.

Another note here I wold like to add is that once someone has truly mae up their mind to kill themselves you generally can do nothing to stop them, aside from a constant watch and chemical restraints. If a dude wants to kill himself you better take away his guns, knives, cars, belts, pills, phone cables, bats, tools, hoses, matches, ladders, shoe laces......etc.....etc....You get the idea.

So basically I don't see gun ownership as a catalyst to suicide, but rather a tool for the determined.

Dave