In America, we take pride in many things, especially our Bill of Rights. The American bill of rights grants us many privileges but none are as controversial as the Second Amendment otherwise known as “the right to bear arms”. Endless debates on network television on whether or not this liberty needs to be restricted or removed entirely from the constitution, or kept in its entirety. We see this happen after every school shooting, after every loss of innocent life due to guns. What is rare to see however is talk about the roll guns have in suicide in the United States.
With many houses in the U.S. having guns it comes as no surprise that many people who attempt suicide will attempt it with a firearm. In fact 21,175 people died in 2013 by shooting themselves with a firearm. While not always fatal it is the most effective way of carrying out what is most times a very impulsive decision. Needless to say when a way presents itself to a person then they are more likely to act upon their suicidal thoughts. If you take away the means of going about it, it makes it less likely to happen to put it quite simply.
With numbers that high it is time for the United States to look at gun control more seriously. If over 21,000 individuals were killed via gun in one day in one place it would be a no brainer, there must be tighter restrictions. There will of course always be the argument that if someone really wants to do it they will find a way. While this may be true having access to a gun makes that attempt much more easy to carry out. This affects veterans, fathers, mothers, teenagers, and people in all walks of life. While it is true that the United States, especially in rural areas, needs better mental health services, taking the step of reducing access to guns would help. Something must be done to help curve this plight; even the smallest steps would be better than nothing.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/24/442596159/when-deciding-to-live-means-avoiding-guns
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine-features/guns-and-suicide-the-hidden-toll/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/14/many-more-people-are-dying-from-gun-suicides-than-homicides/
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/policy-dose/2015/07/28/suicide-is-the-other-side-of-americas-gun-problem
Jacob Lee
With many houses in the U.S. having guns it comes as no surprise that many people who attempt suicide will attempt it with a firearm. In fact 21,175 people died in 2013 by shooting themselves with a firearm. While not always fatal it is the most effective way of carrying out what is most times a very impulsive decision. Needless to say when a way presents itself to a person then they are more likely to act upon their suicidal thoughts. If you take away the means of going about it, it makes it less likely to happen to put it quite simply.
With numbers that high it is time for the United States to look at gun control more seriously. If over 21,000 individuals were killed via gun in one day in one place it would be a no brainer, there must be tighter restrictions. There will of course always be the argument that if someone really wants to do it they will find a way. While this may be true having access to a gun makes that attempt much more easy to carry out. This affects veterans, fathers, mothers, teenagers, and people in all walks of life. While it is true that the United States, especially in rural areas, needs better mental health services, taking the step of reducing access to guns would help. Something must be done to help curve this plight; even the smallest steps would be better than nothing.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/24/442596159/when-deciding-to-live-means-avoiding-guns
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine-features/guns-and-suicide-the-hidden-toll/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/14/many-more-people-are-dying-from-gun-suicides-than-homicides/
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/policy-dose/2015/07/28/suicide-is-the-other-side-of-americas-gun-problem
Jacob Lee