problem: suicide, solution: get rid of guns

[xd45gaper]

i guess he missed the most recent report on Teen girls committing suicide. i herd on the radio lastnight it is up something like 70%. and this is the shocker. they said they are more likely to use hanging or asphixiation as a method. infact it even said hanging or asphixiation is the most common cause of death in teen girls next to car accidents.

basically they said the report showed teen suicide in females where up 70% i think and they where more likely to hang them selves than use a gun. and basically more cars and ropes kill them than firearms.

 

[Old Fuff]

What exactly did Dr. Shain say? Well according to the O.P. he said this:

* Remove firearms from the home. Studies show that even when firearms in the home are locked up, teens are significantly more likely to kill themselves than those in homes without firearms.

I don’t think that anyone would take a position that loaded guns should be easily accessible in households where there is a potentially suicidal person, teen or otherwise. I do take exception to Dr. Shain’s statement that:

Studies show that even when firearms in the home are locked up, teens are significantly more likely to kill themselves than those in homes without firearms.

Given the context, I would say that he is saying that locking up firearms and ammunition isn’t good enough. The ONLY viable solution is to move all firearms out of the house. He is also implying that regardless of how they are secured, the teen (or whoever) will use a firearm to the exclusion of all other methods.

Now “locking up” can cover a lot of ground so far as degree and methods are concerned. But I don’t think that many teens (or adults for that matter) break into a locked gunsafe when they’ve decided to do themselves in. Given the many alternatives to firearms I think the person involved would more likely choose an easier path to a method. Perhaps my observation is the reason Dr. Shain did not provide any citations for the “studies” he mentioned.

And yes, given the circumstances we have every right to question Dr. Shain’s recommendation, and the motives behind it.

 

[tacmedicp94]

It's been my misfortune over the years to work quite a few suicides. If someone really wants to kill themselves they WILL find a way. The most common I've seen with teens is hanging, with firearms present in the house in more than a few cases. It seems to be the 40ish males who tend to use their own guns on themselves, and it does usually appear well thought out. I don't know about national statistics but that seems to be the trend in my neck of the woods.

 

[sixgunner455]

Kid committed suicide in AZ a few days ago. Stepped out in front of a car doing 60 mph. She was emotionally distraught because her boyfriend and two other friends had recently died in vehicular accidents.

Did it at the site of her boyfriend's accident.

Very sad and very tragic for the whole area. Driver was a nurse on her way to work. Sadness compounded.

Wouldn't have been surprised if she'd shot herself, what with all the guns in AZ. Just goes to show, suicide/murder/death have little or nothing to do with the tools used to do it.

 

[Ieyasu]

send her to Japan ... not hardly any guns and more suicide than the US.

However, Japan has a lower teen suicide rate than the U.S.

Regarding a different post, nice off-the-cuff analysis Novus Collectus. Suicide methods do appear to be highly substitutable.

 

[Novus Collectus]

However, Japan has a lower teen suicide rate than the U.S.

I seriously doubt that since overall suicide rate in Japan is twice ours. I think you need to check again.
Please note that murder suicide of families in Japan is recoreded as all suicides. But even excluding those stats, I seriously doubt, given the numbers of how many times higher all suicide rate is in Japan compared to the US, that the teen suicide rate in Japan is even close to being lower than the US teen suicide rate.
Do you have a link?

 

[Ieyasu]

I seriously doubt that since overall suicide rate in Japan is twice ours. I think you need to check again

Okay...

Rates per 100K, of course.
15-24 yr-olds:
U.S. 13.7
Japan: 8.6

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_sui_rat_in_age_15_24-suicide-rates-ages-15-24

Please note that murder suicide of families in Japan is recoreded as all suicides

I believe that is incorrect nowadays, but even if true, has absolutely no significant effect on Japan's suicide stats for teenagers.