For me, whenever I hear the word ‘guns’ I actomatically think of America. Maybe because of how notorious America is when it comes to mass shootings. Or maybe due to the fact that some Americans possess ardent behaviours surrounding the culture of guns. But just how bad are mass shootings in America?
According to ‘centres for disease control and prevention’ guns kill an average of 92 people a day in America, which accumulates to an average of 33,000 people a year. ‘The Guardian’ reported that in the US, there has been 1,000 mass shootings in 1,260 days.
It is credible to state that Americas affair with guns has become a massive problem. Sandy Hook, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, and Most recently Pulse nightclub, are some of the most infamous places that encountered horrific mass shootings.
However, we normally only hear about mass shootings on the news because of how indiscriminate they are, but over 60% of gun-related deaths are suicide not homicide. There is a definite fatal correlation between guns and suicide in the US. Suicide is a traivalized subject, so it’s no wonder why the correlation between gun control and suicide has been overlooked. The method of how one attempts suicide is extremely crucial, as it determines the fatality and the long-term effects it can have on the individual. Methods such as cutting or overdosing, only have around a 5-7% success rate, whereas attempts with firearms have around a 96.5% success rate.
Suicide is normally an impulsive decision that can be triggered by anything. So it seems immoderate that it can be that easy for people. It is evident that removing the lenient laws regarding gun control in the US will decrease gun-releated incidents, but ultimately will prevent suicide
If you look a little deeper at the studies and statistics, you’ll find that the method of suicide is also directly related to the commitment to suicide. Many, not all of course, of the high survival methods aren’t really attempts at suicide, they’re pleas for help, intervention, and attention.
For those who use a firearm, it’s a given that they really want to die, not be “saved.” Most of those were going to succeed even without access to firearms.
And yeah, to cloud the issue, method is also impacted by gender and culture with White men being the most likely to choose to suicide by firearm.
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