# Breakdown of guns used in suicides **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463 "2015-08-21T19:20:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/1 "2015-08-21T19:20:28Z")
Suicides are often broken down by means were used which includes guns. Are there any breakdowns of which types of guns are used? How about how likely a particular type of gun is to be used in a suicide which would control for the popularity differences in types of guns? Are there differences in the effectiveness of particular types of guns? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/2 "2015-08-21T20:03:58Z")
I had a friend use a 12Ga. It was very effective, and a closed coffin funeral. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/3 "2015-08-21T20:10:24Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > I had a friend use a 12Ga. It was very effective, and a closed coffin funeral. Sorry to hear. I figured 12 gauges are commonly used in suicides. I wonder if it’s because they’re commonly owned or if, controlling for the rate of ownership, they’re more often used. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/4 "2015-08-21T20:42:02Z")
In, maybe, _Doctor Zhivago_ the film, some failed officer lies down on the pine-needles and holds a revolver over his mouth. Conversely — and this was quite common in the Spanish Napoleon wars, because the Spanish _really_ didn’t like French soldiers — in such works as Forester’s [**The Gun**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gun_%28novel%29), it was wise for stragglers to take off their shoes, sit on a rock with the muzzle in their mouth, and work the trigger with their foot. This was best done with a long gun. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/5 "2015-08-21T20:44:37Z")
My brother used a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum handgun. He had half a dozen other guns from which to choose. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/6 "2015-08-21T20:49:52Z")
Interesting article in Wiki about [multiple gunshot suicides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_gunshot_suicide). > [@](#): > > In February 1995, a man committed suicide on parkland in Canberra. He took a pump action shotgun and shot himself in the chest. The load passed through the chest without hitting a rib, and went out the other side. He then walked fifteen meters, pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the head. After reloading the shotgun, he leaned the shotgun against his throat, and shot his throat and part of his jaw. He then reloaded a final time, walked 200 meters to a hill, sat down on the slope, held the gun against his chest with his hands and operated the trigger with his toes. This shot entered the thoracic cavity and demolished the heart, killing him. That’s dedication there. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/7 "2015-08-21T20:52:13Z")
I’ve seen all types used. It doesn’t seem like anyone keeps stats on what type of gun. It’s not entered into our reports in any easily searchable way. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/8 "2015-08-21T20:56:16Z")
Men tend to use firearms, while women tend to use things like poison/hanging. There are psychological reasons for this, including the desire to leave a good looking corpse. Men tend to be more effective at suicide and care less about their remains. According to AFSP, the teenage suicide rate for teenagers is roughly 400% higher for males. 77.9% in 2013 were male, for example. The highest rate among ethnic groups (14.2%) was whites, with other groups statistically lower. There are, of course, various ways to interpret numbers. But overall, there’s often something behind them. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/9 "2015-08-21T20:59:17Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’ve seen all types used. It doesn’t seem like anyone keeps stats on what type of gun. It’s not entered into our reports in any easily searchable way. While you’ve seen all types, have you noticed trends? It’s too bad that data isn’t kept in police reports since most gun-related deaths are suicides and having there’s a good positive correlation between gun ownership and suicide. My hypothesis is that some guns are more appealing for suicide purposes and may increase both the attempt rate and the completion rate. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/10 "2015-08-21T21:28:20Z")
Nobody collects data on this because nobody really cares that much. The person is dead. What model gun they chose is irrelevant. For some they don’t have much of a choice if they only have one gun. If someone has a number of guns to choose from I assume they would pick the one that means the most to them, or the one that they happen to have ammunition for at the time. So the specific model chosen is probably random since any working firearm can kill you. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/11 "2015-08-21T21:45:43Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Nobody collects data on this because nobody really cares that much. The person is dead. What model gun they chose is irrelevant. It could be good advertising copy for makers: “_2 out of 10 suicides choose a XXX !_” _“Buying the XXX takes you into a different world.”_ Plus maybe the NRA has data. ---
**Author:** ![eightysix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@eightysix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eightysix)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/12 "2015-08-22T08:12:35Z")
Per my experience as a medical examiner, handguns much more often than rifles. Semiautos somewhat more often than revolvers. Just estimated, about maybe up to 1/4 of the time, there’s good evidence the person bought the gun recently and solely for that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/13 "2015-08-22T08:16:36Z")
> [@eightysix](#): > > Per my experience as a medical examiner, handguns much more often than rifles. Semiautos somewhat more often than revolvers. Just estimated, about maybe up to 1/4 of the time, there’s good evidence the person bought the gun recently and solely for that purpose. How about shotguns? I remember a poster here saying that he once played Russian roulette alone when he was in a depressed mood. Would you happen to know if most of the revolvers used contained only one round? That wouldn’t be conclusive as the person may simply have loaded one round to do it but if revolvers are usually fully loaded, it would exclude Russian roulette as a common method. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/14 "2015-08-22T13:26:41Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Interesting article in Wiki about [multiple gunshot suicides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_gunshot_suicide). > > That’s dedication there. That guy was pretty obviously totally incompetent at shooting himself. Makes me think he was probably equally incompetent at all other areas of his abortive life. Perhaps in ending it early he chose wisely. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/15 "2015-08-22T14:41:19Z")
In the UK, it would be almost exclusively shotguns, owing to the strict laws about handgun ownership. It is certainly the most common method for farmers to use. Of the total, firearms account for less than 2%, while hanging and suffocation is over 50%. Similar to the US, 75% of all suicides are men, and this proportion has remained fairly constant since 1991. > **[Suicide method statistics in the UK | Lost All Hope: The web's leading...](http://lostallhope.com/suicide-statistics/england-wales-methods-suicide)** > > Don't commit suicide without reading this site! Lost All Hope has information on everything from drugs and drop hanging to suicide statistics. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/16 "2015-08-22T14:52:55Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Sorry to hear. > > I figured 12 gauges are commonly used in suicides. I wonder if it’s because they’re commonly owned or if, controlling for the rate of ownership, they’re more often used. My father used to work as a doctor in an isolated, extremely impoverished Indian reservation in Arizona with very high suicide rates. He said 12 gauges were the most common form, despite the fact that they were also frequently ineffective. In several cases the would-be suicide would put the gun in their mouth and bend over to hit the trigger, shifting the gun forward and blowing off the front of their face, but not killing them, but leaving them pretty terribly handicapped. Trying to shoot your own heart with a shotgun is apparently similarly difficult. Having to streatch for the trigger shifts the gun and you end up shooting off some important but non-vital chunck of yourself instead. ---
**Author:** ![eightysix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@eightysix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eightysix)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/17 "2015-08-22T15:58:02Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > How about shotguns? > > I remember a poster here saying that he once played Russian roulette alone when he was in a depressed mood. Would you happen to know if most of the revolvers used contained only one round? That wouldn’t be conclusive as the person may simply have loaded one round to do it but if revolvers are usually fully loaded, it would exclude Russian roulette as a common method. Yes in nonhandgun gun suicides, shotguns would be the most common. As far as revolvers, it’s pretty uncommon that the gun wouldn’t be fully loaded, same goes for semiautos. Your comment about Russian Roulette brings up the side issue of a small controversy about how to categorize the manner of death is those cases, (as in true “game-playing” RR, which is not quite what you describe). To certify a death, we have to choose one of 5 manners, natural, homicide, accident, suicide, undetermined. Most MEs call RR deaths suicides, but a minority think accident is more appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breakdown-of-guns-used-in-suicides/728463/18 "2015-08-22T16:08:11Z")
Years ago, my girlfriend shot herself in the head with a Ruger Vaquero .45 long Colt which she bought specifically for that purpose.