It may be true that the United States still has a high homicide rate compared to other industrialized countries but our homicide rate has, since peaking in the early 90s, been dropping dramatically ever since. (Especially the teen homicide rate.) Some aspect of of our changing society is resulting in less homicide. Overall many risk taking behaviors are decreasing too - less drunk driving for example, greater delay to onset of sexual activity and greater use of birth control once active. Something is going right.
Guns in a household are associated with more completed suicides. States that have passed gun storage requirements have seen decreased rates of completed teen suicide.
A lack of “connectedness” is often associated with increased suicide risk. The dramatic, albeit in absolute numbers rare, mass murder by guns, is usually committed by someone who is poorly connected to their community as well.
Opening Propositions for discussion:
Mandated secure storage of guns is one evidence based means of decreasing teen suicide but is one of only marginal impact. I would argue that it can also decrease the risk of a mentally ill individual disconnected form his/her community from gaining access to weapons as well. Even gun rights stronghold states like Florida have solid laws mandating secure storage that prevent child access to firearms. A national standard makes sense. From the above link:
Any firearm education program should include not only information on how to reduce the risk of firearm accidents but information on identifying suicide risk in a love one or household member and the particular need to store weapons securely from that member if there is any sign of risk.
The bigger issue is understanding how so many teens and young feel so disconnected from society and in particular from their communities and how to increase connectedness especially for those at risk. I do not believe that on-line social networks are helpful in this regard and worry that the tendency of some to retreat into them instead of engaging in real life social interactions increases the risks. I propose that increasing connectedness would also decrease the risk of a mentally ill individual becoming one who intends to cause harm to others as well. Meanwhile means of identifying risks expressed on line and getting those people to resources utilizing social networks are required.
Developing better resources at all levels to prevent suicide is critical. These resources include those within individuals that foster resiliency from an early age, resources that help identify those at risk, can help give a message of hope and recovery, and people in contact with adequate mental health resources, and funding for those resources. Certain populations seem to be at lesser risk of suicide despite having comparable rates of depression (Black females in particular.) One speculation is that a high degree of social support leads to that lower risk but that is not confirmed. Identifying protective factors is vital.
#1 is a bit problematic because what constitutes safe storage can vary between households (single adult versus family with toddlers, for example) and also with the intended use of the firearm (a gun kept for self-defense has to be in a higher state of readiness than one used solely for target shooting, and therefore is inherently less safe). That makes legislating anything beyond “lock up your guns” problematic. And teens may be able to access safes that would defeat a small child (especially if the parents make the mistake of sharing the combination/keys with their seemingly “mature” teenager).
I couldn’t agree more with points 2-4. There have to be reasons why suicide numbers are holding steady or even climbing, and if we effectively confront those reasons, this is a trend we can successfully reverse.
As a member of Survivors of Suicide I would debate
“Guns in a household are associated with more completed suicides. States that have passed gun storage requirements have seen decreased rates of completed teen suicide.”
Lord knows, its a subject near and dear to my heart and I haven’t seen any evidence of it.
Among our local groups/meeting overdose seems to be far and away the leader as preferred method. Since 100% of households have some form of drugs (rx or otc) present that’s no big surprise.
Like Artemis, other than nitpicking I have no problems with 2-4.
I am not sure which bit you’re disagreeing with here, but unsurprisingly, it’s easier to kill yourself with a gun if one is around than by other methods.
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Among our local groups/meeting overdose seems to be far and away the leader as preferred method.
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That’s because the people who shot themselves died, so they couldn’t come to your survivor group meeting. Yes, shooting yourself is not the most common method in suicide attempts. But it’s the method that’s most likely to work. I don’t know if stricter gun control laws are associated with lower rates of suicide, but like the OP said, guns are associated with suicide deaths.
a) Work to de-stigmatize the use of mental health services.
b) Increase the availability of of mental health services.
c) Work to de-stigmatize mental illness, there is no reason that depression should be viewed any differently than any other biological illness.
I just lost a friend of 20 years this summer due to addiction and depression because he was too embarrassed to seek help and thought that it would negatively affect his career prospects if he was treated.
Marley, “survivor of suicide” usually refers to those who are the loved ones of someone who completed a suicide.
Again the effect is modest but real. The lead in CAP laws was not big pro gun control state; it was Florida, the same gun rights state that tried to make it illegal for a pediatrician to even ask about gun ownership and storage practices.
It is however no substitute for other more important interventions.
I am all for encouraging safe storage or firearms but this claim seems hanky and they are saying it saved 333 lives over 12 years.
How many more lives could have been saved if those resources were directed towards education or mental health services?
And firearms permiting increased suicide rates by 17.7%? Everything else I have seen shows that reducing the number of legal guns does reduce the firearms suicide rate.
That is why they did* not* claim a causal reduction in that 18 to 20 year old age group but only in the 14 to 17 year old group. As stated in the article: “the statistically significant negative association between CAP laws and rates of suicide using means other than firearms casts doubt on any causal connection between the laws and lower suicide rates in this group of older youth.”
Nothing hanky at all.
Also no costly diversion of resources. Just having a storage law on the books and letting it be known what the law is. Amazingly enough law abiding citizens desire to follow the law. Just like most parents buckle up their kids without a costly enforcement mechanism needed. Nothing that could be otherwise used for better education or mental health services. Cheap.
The permit to licensing law reference was to raising the age from 18 to 21. On that subject the conclusion was indeed “As currently implemented, minimum age restrictions for the purchase and possession of firearms do not appear to reduce overall rates of suicide among youth.”
They claim that CAPs have a RR that is lower on the older age group and also a smaller P value. The increase in deaths from permit to buy states also has a very low P value vs. the larger one assigned to the younger group.
They only toss out the effect of the gun permits due to it not fitting the model. Note that CAP laws didn’t show significant trends under most models they used either.
As for the cost, charging the parents of dead teens with a felony imposes a non-trivial cost to the state.
Note: I am not saying CAP laws don’t have value, just that this report has little.
I see table 2 and I do not understand your point whatsoever. The conclusion is that CAP laws are associated with a decrease in suicide in 14 to 17 year olds. They use the same logic as you do to conclude a lack of evidence for the 18 to 20 year old group. There is nothing in your post that disputes those conclusions in any way.
As for cost, cite for how often such cost has been incurred what that cost was, please. It’s happened, I suspect, but to a non-trivial cost level? I’d need evidence before accepting that. OTOH the economic benefit of having prevented the death and the care before the death of those roughly 35 teens each year in those 18 states, or even the (thankfully fairly uncommon) needless accidental deaths as referenced in this article … well I can do some educated guesswork there but let’s just leave it as “substantial.”
Once again, storage laws, such as those adopted by Florida and Texas, are the low hanging fruit. If Florida and Texas can get behind them then I have a hard time understanding how there can be any serious opposition elsewhere, other than those who are just committed to saying “no” to everything as a matter of habit.
The bigger potential gains however, IMHO, are elsewhere. And I remain puzzled as to why homicide rates and various risk taking behaviors among youth have decreased while suicide has not. I suspect understanding that is key.
SoS isn’t primarily a group of people who attempted suicide and failed - it is a support group for the loved ones left behind from completed acts. And guns not being the only thing associated with suicide deaths, why single them out? Why not a failed psychiatric system? That could solve a lot more problems than just deaths. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the OP made a bad post. I’m just saying the order of importance should be reversed IE 4-1.
Because they are indeed half or because other means are under reported? Again, speaking from personal experience, drug related are often written off as accident or other causes. Or simply not reported. A little harder for the local officials to do when a firearm is involved although I am sure it happens there as well. Our big fight seems to be more for the removal of the stigma attached to the act so that better figures and science are possible.
It crosses over a little bit with TCF (The Compassionate Friends) but a question parents have after a fatal car accident with little or no alcohol involved is ---- was it an accident? Being what the teen suicide rate is and has done how many are suicides?