Guns and suicide

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Depends on how oblique we’re going with the question.

I don’t think so.  While suicide is a terrible occurrence, I don’t think that our best efforts (and considerable political capital required) should be wasted on keeping people who want to die alive.

Children, maybe...but since kids “can’t” get guns cap laws and enforcement of their existing analogs would seem a better target to cut down on suicides, school shootings, accidents involving children, people mistakenly shooting their so in a perceived home invasion, etc.

Focus on the ones that want to live, and the ones who can’t be given leeway to make such decisions for themselves, first.  I know, two things at once.....still....we might really need to take this in baby steps considering how poor our efforts to date have been.

Pretty much what I was thinking.  Guns don't cause people to suicide, but they are frequently a means to that end.  If a society is serious about reducing suicide rates, counselling and the teaching of coping skills is going to be more effective than attempting to address firearm availability. If the desire to take one's life is removed, then the means won't matter.

Boru