Why is Suicide Ignored in the Gun Violence Debate?
(https://dailyfamily.ng/6-signs-of-a-depressed-person-2/)
Before I begin this post I want anyone who is reading this who is suicidal to call this number:
1–800–273–8255
I may not know you personally, but I know that you are worth so much more than you think and that there are more people in this world who care about you than you think.
When talking about the issue of gun violence, the conversation is usually centered around mass shootings and gang violence (which are important topics that need to continue to be talked about). But another topic that is equally as important tends to be ignored: suicides. In my first post I mentioned a New York Times Op-Ed titled “I used to think gun control was the answer. My research told me otherwise”, author Leah Libresco cites research her and her colleagues collected on gun violence and found that “Two-thirds of gun deaths in the United States every year are suicides” (Liberesco). She then goes on to explain in the article how her research showed that gun control did not lead to reduced crime rates overall and that there wasn’t enough evidence to conclude that gun control was effective. That being said the part about suicide accounting for two thirds of all gun deaths really stuck out to me because of how suicide was largely ignored in the gun debate. Suicide is a major issue that needs to be talked about. Why are so many people committing suicides with guns and is there anything we can do to stop it?
Before reading this op-ed, I never considered the suicide prevention aspect of the gun violence and gun control discussion, but after reading that Op-Ed and fact checking it I realize that the issue of suicide cannot be ignored in either discussion anymore.
Because suicide is such a complex topic I wanted to look further outside the New York Times Op-Ed to get a better understanding of the suicide epidemic. According to everytownresearch.org, a website that encourages gun safety, an average of nearly 22,000 Americans commit suicide every year and 59 Americans commit suicide each day (everytownresearch.org). The website goes on to repeat the stat Libresco listed in the Op-Ed https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Everytown_final_logo.pngthat suicides make up two thirds of gun deaths, but goes on to say that half of those suicide victims use a gun as their method of death (everytownresearch.org). This despite research conducted by the Giffords Center that they are used in only five percent of suicide attempts (Giffords). These statistics show just how deadly guns are when in the wrong hands. The fact that guns are only used in five percent of attempts yet make up over half the total suicide deaths illustrate the difference between the gun suicide attempts and other suicide attempts. I want to make it very clear that you should NEVER try to commit suicide and that there are ways to get the help you need. But those who attempt suicide with guns are far less likely to survive compared to those who use other methods.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Everytown_final_logo.png)
Libresco in the Op-Ed says cites how suicides make up two-thirds of gun deaths. But one thing her article doesn’t touch on is how big the disparity is between suicide attempts with and without guns are. The idea that someone who is suicidal will just use other methods to attempt suicide may be true, but those other methods prove to be less deadly than guns. According to Giffords.org, “Most people who attempt suicide without a gun survive in both the short and long term — 90% of survivors do not die by suicide” (Giffords). This compared with a 50% rate of suicide by gun despite being used in only 5% of attempts (Giffords).
These statistics prove that suicides are preventable if a gun is not involved, which is why it is so important to include suicide victims in the gun reform debate. When it comes to policies preventing gun suicides, these will also help reduce overall suicides and giving more people a second chance. When talking about policies that can help prevent gun deaths, we cannot ignore those who make up the highest amount of those killed by guns which are suicide victims. I’m really glad I read the New York Times Op-Ed by Leah Libresco, because not only did it expand my understanding of the gun violence epidemic, but it opened my eyes to an entire group of people who have been wrongfully ignored in the gun violence and gun control conversation. And when two Parkland Survivors took their lives one year after surviving the deadliest school shooting in American history, the lives of tens of thousands of people depend on being included in the conversation.
Again, if you are reading this and suicidal please don’t try to take your own life in any manner, with a gun or without a gun, and please get the help you need. Call the number above or contact any of these services that specialize in suicide prevention and helping people rid themselves of depression.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Works Cited:
Libresco, Leah. “I used to think gun control was the answer. My research told me otherwise”. The New York Times. Published 3 October 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-used-to-think-gun-control-was-the-answer-my-research-told-me-otherwise/2017/10/03/d33edca6-a851-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.31f991c3ffef
“Firearm Suicide in the United States”. Everytown. Published 18 August 2018. https://everytownresearch.org/firearm-suicide/
“Guns and Suicide”. Giffords. https://giffords.org/issue/guns-and-suicide/
