Gun owners please do NOT simply disregard this info out of hand. Depression and suicide are horrible and acknowledging this can save your life or the life of someone you love. Be aware and take precautions if you or someone you love are depressed ... I have lost a close loved one to suicide .... just be aware.

in Japan, where it is nearly impossible to get a gun, is sky high. The problem in this country with suicide has a lot to do with the economic problems facing the vast majority of americans as well as the total disregard of mental health.

My message is simple ... if you or someone you love are depressed or despondent pay attention .... do what needs to be done to decrease the potential by putting up barriers to access for common means of suicide. The OP was about the lethality of guns when used in suicide ... my response addresses this. By no means should one ignore other means with lesser "success"


Reducing a Suicidal Person’s Access to Lethal Means of Suicide
http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/sites/actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/files/Reducing%20a%20Suicidal%20Persons%20Access%20to%20Lethal.pdf

My thought is that perhaps those most serious about suicide choose to use a firearm because of the high success rate of this method. I wonder what percentage of gun suicides bought the gun just for that purpose?

Also curious if waiting periods lowered the rate of suicide success? If it did, then we really need to reinstate waiting periods. If not, then its pretty clear that those most serious about suicide either were willing to wait or chose another high success method.

This is an area that really needs more study.

One was a good friend that played Russian Roulette with 3 rounds in a revolver. He had been addicted to cocaine and dropped into a deep depression. His girlfriend at the time had had bouts of depression and flirted with suicide (or so I was told). My dad's girlfriend also did herself in with a revolver. She shot herself in the heart with a snub nosed .38. The round went through her, and through the sofa chair she was sitting in. It then when through the front window and a large ficus hedge. The police found the bullet in the neighbor's driveway across the street. It's amazing that no one else was injured or killed when that went down. It was a crowded neighborhood. I guess because she did it at night most everyone was inside. Both of these incidents occurred years ago. My friend was in 2001, and my dad's GF was around 2004.

I'm not a gun control guy at all, but a common sense waiting period might save some lives.

Man kills wife then self for example. Or even the mass killings followed by suicide like columbine

... for people ... especially for those heading into this time of year that are despondent/ battling depression.

Any reminder to remove access ... in addition to seeking treatment and or providing support ... is a GOOD IDEA.