cracked_ribs
Well-Known Member
It's very frequently pointed out by firearms advocates that the overwhelming majority of gun deaths are suicides; that's because suicides are usually included by gun control advocates in a general "X number of gun deaths" because most people picture murders and get conned.
Suicide rates have been declining pretty steadily since the early 1980s and overall are very similar to rates in the 1950s.
If the premise that firearms availability significantly increases the likelihood of suicide was true, we would not have seen it decline as rates of firearms ownership increased over the last decade. And if gun control legislation helped, we'd have seen a drop after 1995 instead of a spike.
Whatever may have happened in Australia, we have not seen that result here. And I would argue that even the claim about Australia is highly suspect: their current suicide rate is higher than it's been in years. If, as the article claims, taking guns away reduces gun suicides without increasing other types, therefore generating a net reduction in suicides, why are they now at a ten year high?
https://m.huffingtonpost.com.au/201...peaked-to-a-terrifying-new-height_a_21480647/
Suicide rates have been declining pretty steadily since the early 1980s and overall are very similar to rates in the 1950s.
If the premise that firearms availability significantly increases the likelihood of suicide was true, we would not have seen it decline as rates of firearms ownership increased over the last decade. And if gun control legislation helped, we'd have seen a drop after 1995 instead of a spike.
Whatever may have happened in Australia, we have not seen that result here. And I would argue that even the claim about Australia is highly suspect: their current suicide rate is higher than it's been in years. If, as the article claims, taking guns away reduces gun suicides without increasing other types, therefore generating a net reduction in suicides, why are they now at a ten year high?
https://m.huffingtonpost.com.au/201...peaked-to-a-terrifying-new-height_a_21480647/