preview

Informative Essay: Firearm Suicide Prevalence Of Suicide

Decent Essays

Zach Turner
Mr. Prokop
English
February 22, 2017
Firearm Suicide Prevalence
Suicide is when someone chooses to end their own life. There are many different ways to commit suicide and shooting yourself is one, a usually fatal one. New Mexico has the ninth highest gun death rank in the nation. Out of fifty states, those are pretty poor statistics.
“New Mexico hasn’t passed any new gun laws in the past two years. Like many other states on the list, it doesn’t require background checks for private sales, ban assault rifles or require licenses for gun dealers. It also has no restrictions on gun purchases by residents with a history of domestic abuse.” (Hendry)
Although when people think of gun related deaths as being homicides, more …show more content…

Young black males are more often killed by a gun fire by someone else than self-inflicted gun fire. White males, on the other hand, are more likely to kill themselves by gun than be killed in a homicide. "The vast majority of white gun deaths are suicides; less than one in five is a homicide." (Reeves, Holmes) Women are the least likely to commit suicide by gun. They don't like to think of people who love them cleaning up after the suicide. Women are more sensitive and thoughtful. They try to find a less messy way to commit suicide such as hanging, suffocation, overdose, or poisoning. The three most popular ways to commit suicide in men and women combined are firearms, hanging/suffocation, and drugs/poisonings. In adults, separation or divorce increases the risk of suicide. Teenagers are also committing suicide by gun. “Firearms were the instrument of death in 88 percent of teen homicides and 41 percent of teen suicides in 2014” (Teen Homicide…) Teen girls are more likely to attempt suicide but boys are more likely to be successful and commit suicide. They are more emotional and anxious, if they abuse drugs or alcohol, it adds another element. If guns are stored properly, teens and younger children are less likely to get a hold of them and would reduce child/teen

Get Access