Gun Related Suicides

With the popular culture providing positive images of guns, the United States has a gun prevalence that is very rare in the modern world. While many people appreciate the “gun culture”, guns are heavily involved in violence in the United States. According to U.S. Department of Justice, since 1960, more than 750,000 Americans have died under firearms, including homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries. The figure 1 provides a comprehensive survey of U.S. violent crimes for the period from 1993 to 2011.This figure illustrates that from 1993 to 2011, about 60% to 70% of homicides were associated with a firearm. Over the same period, between 6% and 9% of all nonfatal violence, with about 20% to 30% of robberies and 22% to 32% of aggravated assaults involving a firearm.

The United States is one of the few countries were the right to bear arms is protected by the constitution. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most violent with incidents involving guns this year reaching an estimated 36,212 and an approximate 9,050 deaths (“Gun Violence Archive”). There are an estimated 310 million firearms in households across American, these are only estimates because current gun laws do not require them to be registered or tracked. A more staggering estimate is that most of the guns owned by private citizens are semi-automatic guns, the same type of gun used in almost all mass shootings. While these privately owned guns are legally purchased, many times, they land in the hands of criminals, and owners never report them stolen. Mass shootings and gun crimes are not the only issues with gun violence the one never talked about is suicide, more guns available equals more suicides. The United States is one of the easiest countries to own a gun legally or illegally, stricter gun control laws are necessary.

Research shows that whether attempters live or die depends in large part on the ready availability of firearms. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health of all 50 U.S. states reveals a powerful link between rates of firearm ownership and suicides. Based on a survey of American households conducted in 2002, it was found that in states where guns were prevalent—as in Wyoming, where 63 percent of households reported owning guns—rates of suicide were higher. The inverse was also true: where gun ownership was less common, suicide rates were also lower ( Harvard). Many lives could be saved if firearms weren't so accessible. The American government needs to adopt policies that would keep guns out of the hands of vulnerable adults and

Many teenagers and even adults feel worthless and depressed and give up on life. Instead of taking action and getting help to solve their life problems, these people choose to commit suicide. There are about 30,000 suicide deaths per year. This number is outrageously high. One out of every 45 attempts of suicide actually succeeds. Whether suicide attempters succeed or fail, all depends on how easy it is for them to get the resources they want to use for this task, especially firearms. Deborah Azrael, a research associate at Harvard’s Research Center, found that when guns were predominant in a state, suicide rates were higher. The inverse of this statement was also correct, in states where guns were not prevalent, suicide rates were lower. Many lives would be saved, many suicides would be prevented, and many families would be able to avoid heartbreak and despair, if firearms were not accessible in the United

The thought of guns and the ability to commit mass murder is a chilling one. According to the The Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence, “an average of more than 100,000 people are shot every year in the United States” (Just the Facts: Gun Violence in America). Gun violence in America has reached epidemic proportions, surpassing rates of gun-related violence in other developed, high-income nations by 25 percent (Preidt). There is an urgent need for tighter gun laws in America. (5) In order to put an end to the growing trend of gun violence, the United States needs stricter legislation regarding the purchase and ownership of firearms. Although most gun advocates believe that stricter gun laws would not prevent mass shootings, stricter gun

This means more than half of the suicide in America was done using a firearm. Perhaps the use of firearms use in suicides are high is because it is also reported by GunPolicy that, “The estimated total number of guns held by civilians in the United States is 270,000,000.” Also it is important to take in an account that this number possibly can be much greater because illegal guns and unregistered guns might not be included. With this amount of guns in America, someone with the passion to kill someone or themselves, the most convenient way to commit suicide or kill someone would be to obtain one of the million guns across America. The number of suicides from firearms are so high because the availability to obtain the potentially greater 270,000,000 guns in America. Gun control laws can potential decrease passion crimes and suicides. In Australia, they have passed guns laws that have reduced homicides and suicides. The law that made it possible for the decrease in firearm suicides and homicide for civilians is that

After the incident, James Brady devoted his life to the fight for gun control. (Johnson, 2014) In 1993 the Brady Handgun Violence and Prevention Act bill passed. The law requires background checks on firearms purchases from federally licensed dealers in the United States, and imposed a five- day waiting on purchases. (Johnson, 2014) Some have argued that the Brady law has no impact of the gun control issues and the Brady Bill seems to have been a failure. In 2012 after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre government officials and Congress revisit the impact of gun control that Brady Law has. (Johnson, 2014) Yet, other believe that Brady Law had a lasting impact on gun

A counter-argument to private citizens owning firearms is that they are a major contributor to suicide worldwide. In an international study conducted by Professor Martin

Gun law advocates argue that gun control laws diminish the amount of weaponry in the streets, and, by extension, in the hands of criminals. Likewise, gun control will diminish suicide. There were 464,033 total gun deaths between 1999 and 2013: 270,237 suicides (58.2% of total deaths); 174,773 homicides (37.7%); and 9,983 unintentional deaths (2.2%) (CDC, 2014). If perhaps, one of these families had a surviving brother or sister, mother or father, due to the current policies, it is worth enacting change. It is inhuman to allow people to die by firearms when they could simply be banned. In light of the recent mass shootings, families are left with the lingering wonder as to whether these national tragedies could be prevented. Criminals can easily

In the United States results in thousands of deaths and thousands more injuries annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, firearms (excluding BB and pellet guns) were used in 84,258 nonfatal injuries (26.65 per 100,000 U.S. citizens) and 11,208 deaths by homicide (3.5 per 100,000), 21,175 by suicide with a firearm, 505 deaths due to accidental discharge of a firearm, and 281 deaths due to firearms-use with "undetermined intent" for a total of 33,169 deaths related to firearms (excluding firearm deaths due to legal intervention). 1.3% of all deaths in the country were related to firearms.

Imagine heartbreak, loved ones dying, and losing hope. This has transpired for many in America today, all because of gun violence. It has become a great problem for our society in recent years. Data from Every Town Research has shown In their article Gun Violence by the Numbers “...that on an average day, 93 Americans are killed with guns...For every one person killed, two are injured” Many will deny that gun violence is a dilemma, but it is. Most do not realize this but, over 62% of the deaths are suicide, and just over 1,642 people killed by gun violence were unintended. There is something very wrong here, and something needs to change quickly. If so many of these deaths are incidental, and suicides; There is clearly a correlation between something in our society today, and the terribly high rates of suicide which need to be addressed. I contend we need to get out there and instruct our youth, and adults on how to handle situations with a gun. Additionally, we should discover what is causing so many to feel as if suicide is the only way out of the pain, and suffering from a long unsatisfactory life.

More than 89 people die from gun violence every day and out of those 89 people, two- thirds of them are suicides. Guns displayed around the house make it three times more likely for suicides to occur (Gun Violence 2). Every day, out of seven children and teens that die from gun violence, two kill them themselves. Out of 41 children and teens that are shot and survive every day, one of those 41 survive from a suicide attempt. 89 people that die every day from gun violence, 55 of them kill themselves. Every day, 208 people are shot and survive and ten of those people survive a suicide attempt (Key Gun Violence Statistics 2). In one year on average 827 out of 2,677 kids kill themselves and 280 out of 14,822 kids survive a suicide attempt (Key Gun Violence Statistics 2). In our communities, hundreds and thousands of people commit suicide with a gun (Fact Sheet: New Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence and Make our Communities Safer 2). “Firearms were used in 19,392 suicides in the U.S. in 2010, constituting almost 62% of all gun deaths. Over 50% of all suicides are committed with a firearm. On average, 49 gun suicides were committed each day for the years 2005- 2010. White males, about 40% of the U.S. population, accounted for over 80% of firearm suicides in 2010. Firearms were used in nearly 44% of suicide deaths among persons under

You walk through the door, after a long day and you see your six year old son holding a gun that you thought you stored , and your toddler is on the floor with blood gushing out of his body. Your son now scarred, and precious daughter now dying, it’s too late too late to think ‘What could I have done to prevent this’. 48 children and teens are killed either accidentally, in a suicide, or in a homicide every day in America (one person every 30 minutes.) Unintentional gun deaths and suicide are among the top ten of the leading causes of teenage deaths in America (CDC, 2015). Any incident of gun violence involving an underage shooter, is an accident.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which went into effect in 1994, made background checks a requirement for gun purchases from licensed dealers. The law was named after James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The Brady Bill, however, is not thorough enough. Known as the "gun show loophole," most states “do not require background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows from private individuals -- federal law only requires licensed dealers to conduct checks.” (Governing). Gun dealers should also be licensed and penalties and fines should be enacted as additional safety measures. There are “an estimated 300 million guns in America owned by a third of the population, far more per capita than any other modern nation.” (LaFeminista).

It is impossible not to open a newspaper, watch the television, or listen to the radio with out hearing about some type of gun violence. Perhaps the main reason for such high gun violence is that guns are so plentiful in the Unites States. In fact, there are sixty five million handguns in America ("The `facts' about Guns"). These guns contribute to an annual medical cost of fourteen billion dollars, which is spent solely on treating gun victims ("Handguns in America"). Not surprisingly, handguns are the cause of eighty percent of homicides, seventy percent of suicides, and almost every accidental shooting ("Youth and Violence"). Handgun violence is a problem that is easy for everyone to see. How to solve this predicament is another