Precious Roy wrote:
joedirt wrote:
Precious Roy Toy, how do you explain the higher rates of suicide in Japan, SE Asia and the European average than in America if firearms are the root cause of suicide as you argue?
Never said that firearms are the root cause of suicide. The rate of suicide by firearm in the US is multiple times that in other countries. And suicide by firearm accounts for half of the suicides in the US. Suicides are usually impulsive actions trigger by a mental health emergency. When a gun is present, the odds of a suicide attempt taking place and being lethal are very high. When no gun is present, the time it takes to find pills or some other method of suicide is often long enough for the suicidal urge to subside. And the odds of surviving a suicide attempt by other methods is significantly higher than with a firearm.
Overall suicide rates are more a function of societal norms, religion and access to mental health care. Suicide is rare in Muslim countries because in Islam everyone is taught that suicide is Haram and a one way ticket to hell. In Japan, there is a very different attitude towards suicide stemming from the ancient practice of seppuku in the days of the Samurai warriors. There also has been a recent epidemic due to the shift from a business culture where everyone had jobs for life and a full pension to a more Western business climate where companies downsize to raise profits. Also, Japanese lending is very conservative and often require multiple cosigners. When the economy stagnated, people defaulting on loans were shamed for causing family members to have to make good on the loans. This was another big driver in the Japanese suicide rate.
http://www.bradycampaign.org/firearm-suicide-in-the-united-states
Nice to see someone thinking and writing rationally.