Residents of states with the highest rates of gun ownership and political conservatism are at greater risk of suicide than those in states with less gun ownership and less politically conservative leanings, according to a study by University of California…professor Augustine Kposowa…
Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States in 2007, the most recent year for which complete mortality data was available at the time of the study. It was the seventh leading cause of death for males and the 15th leading cause of death for females. Firearms are the most commonly used method of suicide by males and poisoning the most common among females.
“Many studies show that of all suicide methods, firearms have the highest case fatality, implying that an individual who selects this technique has a very low chance of survival,” Kposowa said. Guns are simply the most efficient method of suicide, he added.
With few exceptions, states with the highest rates of gun ownership — for example, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alabama, and West Virginia — also tended to have the highest suicide rates. These states were also carried overwhelmingly by George Bush in the 2000 presidential election…
Kposowa is the first to use a nationally representative sample to examine the effect of firearm availability on suicide odds. Previous studies that associated firearm availability to suicide were limited to one or two counties. His study also demonstrates that individual behavior is influenced not only by personal characteristics, but by social structural or contextual attributes. That is, what happens at the state level can influence the personal actions of those living within that state.
The sociologist said that although policies aimed at seriously regulating firearm ownership would reduce individual suicides, such policies are likely to fail not because they do not work, but because many Americans remain opposed to meaningful gun control…“Even modest efforts to reform gun laws are typically met with vehement opposition. There are also millions of Americans who continue to believe that keeping a gun at home protects them against intruders, even though research shows that when a gun is used in the home, it is often against household members in the commission of homicides or suicides,” Kposowa said.
About time we had some good news about guns. Yeah, I know – facetious.
Haha…this is the trolliest thread I’ve seen in a while. Have at it gentlemen!
Meaningless troll fodder.
It could very well be true, but you can slice and dice stats and demographics in a zillion ways and get things like
“Global warming proponents are top 1% in emission of greenhouse gases”.
“Most highly educated are amongst least likely to succeed in business ventures.”
Or whatever offensive stuff you’d like to data mine.
Do they have flash mobs in Texas? What happens when the unruly — usually African-American — children run into the quite common conceal-carry type?
That’s why it doesn’t happen in Texas but it happens in Chicago or New York City.
You can slice stats to get the trollbait you like. Or hunt for the deeper truth and benefit humanity.
I wonder how Al Gore and his like fit into your conclusion.
Liberals only objection is they believe the suicide should be authorized and paid for by the government.
Bobbo just declared suicide as murder.
But he does seem to believe that 99% of the population needs to lose their 2nd Amendment rights (or have them sharply curbed) due to the actions of 0.0095% of the population (by his own numbers) whose choice of suicide is down the barrel of a gun.
My mistake… 30k deaths per year are for ALL gun-related deaths… not just suicide.
Approximately 1,000 of those are either accidental discharge or undetermined intent.
0.00000032%
Or about 3.2 people out of every billion. Sheds a lot of light over Captain Obvious’ increased risk factors. 🙂
Most murder victims in large cities have criminal record.
91% — if you believe the article.
So a fair amount is criminals killing other criminals — saving taxpayers dollars for the cost to prosecute and incarcerate them.
http://wnd.com/2013/03/most-murder-victims-in-big-cities-have-criminal-record/
Odd, based on there ever growing debt loads, population flight, stagnant economies, and high murder rates I’d have said the blue states were committing suicide. By the way a lot of overdoses and car accidents in blue states may not have been accidental.
Have any of you asked yourselves why Google, which is true blue, is putting in high speed fiber in red states? The heck of it is they may have started the legal process to put in high speed fiber in blue states at the same point in time as Kansas City and are waiting on approval. If so they would most likely still have about 3 more years to wait before they can get approval assuming it ever comes.
Man it’s so easy so easy to drive people crazy with facts. And I like how your angry assumption that I think an outright ban on guns is my position.
Trigger locks, assault weapon bans, etc are just stop gap measures. Those are temporary measures to deal with a symptom. Hell I’ll be able to print a perfect fully automatic assault rifle in 5 years.
Start from a premise that reducing violence in the home and community is a good thing. No one thing is going to fix it but diverse solutions and time will. Most of all, don’t run from the facts.
Sorry kids, the truth is sometimes uncomfortable. Be a real man and get over it.
When you call the police, what you are really calling is a trained man with a gun with the temperament to know when to use it.
In general:
Who does the mass shootings? Male video game nerds aged 16-24 with a history of mental illness or socially misfit.
When does this occur? During the daytime, they pick a place with helpless women and children and kill.
Who does the general murders/homicides? Young males aged 16-24 who are not college students and are not employed.
When do these occur? At night usually involving alcohol. Mostly after 10 PM to 5 AM.
Go after the humans causing the problems.
A. It is the way to get effective results.
B. It is less expensive and cumbersome on the rest of us.
This is why you have to be 25 years old to rent a car.
A nicely thought out answer. Not a knee jerk liberal/conservative response.
That’s why I talk about risk factors above. Not single cause and effect. I personally think education and personal commitment will eventually win out. Public opinion will change too in response to current problems.
But it takes time.
Liberals would never go for this because they’d be conceding that profiling works.
So what are the causes of the violence?
It could well start with one silly hooman forcing their opions on others through a combination of whatever is available to them from physical confrontation, to a gun, ((non-forum “tools”)) to denial of simple truths and mindless repetition such as you use on this forum.
Ha, ha. …. I write to amuse myself as nothing obviously has or will seep through your fettered brains.
mmmm, brains. Need more brains……..
But I dither.
“It could well start with one silly hooman forcing their opions on others through a combination of whatever is available to them from physical confrontation, to a gun, ((non-forum “tools”)) to denial of simple truths and mindless repetition.”
You just described government!
All of them anywhere.
Yea, verily HM===but the alternative is worse.
Got to recognize the Zen we all confront: “Life is Pain”
Then we all go our separate ways, but usually in the same direction.
Ha, ha.
What I would like is a government that “works with the people”.
Like the smaller European countries.
Then again, maybe that closeness isn’t good.
So how’s that 0.0095% of the total U.S. population you’re using to promote forcing the micromanaging of the 99% of the the masses doing these days? (Not that you truly care or are intellectually honest). 😀
Likewise. 😉
The attempt to link gun availability to suicide rate won’t hold up. The reason (men) use guns to off themselves is because they want to get it over with. The population at large is unaware that there is a “kinder, gentler” way of hanging oneself that doesn’t involve frantic feet kicking above the floorboards: the genuflexion method. Do it like those idiot kids that accidentally hang themselves. It’s easy, relatively pleasant & no need to leave a splattery mess behind for your “loved ones” to find. You may fill your pants after you’re dead though. But you won’t care.
Guns are used because we are in a “gun culture.” Guns are seen as tools to certain ends: ending life. That of others or yourself.
There is a positive correlation between gun ownership and death from guns. How could there not be?
Switzerland is an exception. Gun Nuts will use Switzerland as “proof” guns don’t kill people. Honest analysis goes beyond the bumpersticker though… in fact… to the “culture” and its values, rules,
enforcement, safety net services, days of sunshine, amount of chocolate consumed and other important civil, criminal, and religious concerns.
You say: “The attempt to link gun availability to suicide rate won’t hold up. ” //// but then you spasmodically give a reason that totally holds it up: “The reason (men) use guns to off themselves is because they want to get it over with.”
Huh?
The USA doesn’t have nukes to use them.
For most people, a gun is a measure of security knowing it is available should it need use.
Like a fire extinguisher.
ROFLMAO.
Guyver said 8 Apr @ 2:36PM:
Heard on the radio that NRA is offering lifetime memberships for $300. That’s a STEAL given that it’s usually $1k.
Agree it’s only a steal at $300. At $1K, it’s a complete rippoff.
Small price to pay to preserve the 2nd Amendment from liberals.
So sad…
http://cnn.com/2013/04/09/us/new-jersey-child-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t5
Yes it is.
Unlike the link you just provided, this one is about a deliberate attempt by liberals to deny a person born alive from a botched abortion (aka accidental birth) any health care: http://tinyurl.com/ckf9zmf
Pretty sickening regardless of where you stand on the issue.
You gotta be a whole lotta stupid if you believe that owning a gun makes you safer.
Could be worse. You could think 911 is more than enough to scare off any threats in your home in the middle of the night because you embrace a police state.
“You gotta be a whole lotta stupid if you believe that owning a gun makes you safer.”
Michael Bloomberg and Obama’s security details disagree.
The general public is not targeted for assasinations by various hate groups.
Silly Person.