IanB
Regular Member
imported post
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4170649.ece
OK, the above link is not about guns, it's about the skyrocketing suicide rates in Japan. So you're gonnaask... Why is this being posted on a gun rights forum?
Well,this article blowshuge holes into the Brady idea that reducing firearms in America will result in fewer suicides. Here in America, the Brady's claim30,694 people are killed by guns each year(2005 data) which includes 17,002suicides (2005 data) committed with a gun. This means 55% of ALL firearms deaths in America are actually suicides, and are not related to "gun violence" at all.The Brady logicappears to be"ifwe could getguns out of the hands of suicidal persons, we could reduce overall suicides". At least that is the rational I'mpicking up from their arguments.
But what happens in a country where thecitizens generally don't have the right to own firearms? Shouldn't the overall suicide rate be much lower? If you believe the Brady logic that would be the case, but it's not.
For decades the pro-rights side of the gun control debate has argued that firearms are only a tool, and if guns are banned or restricted in America, suicidal persons will simply seek out alternative methods (hanging, jumping, cutting, etc.) to achieve their objective. The above article not only proves that idea is correct, it also points to the real problem and cause of suicides in Japan; societal pressures to achieve success, depression, and culturaltraditions that frown upon admitting weakness. Tellingly absent from the excuses forhigh suicide rates in Japan:"easy access to firearms.
This only goes to prove, gun control is not about reducing suicides, it's geared toward elimination of rights and liberties, making us all dependant upon the government for protection, and nanny state politics. Including suicides in their "gun violence" statistics is a strategy only meant to fluff the numbers andtrick the public into believing that crime involving guns is a biggerproblem than it really is.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4170649.ece
OK, the above link is not about guns, it's about the skyrocketing suicide rates in Japan. So you're gonnaask... Why is this being posted on a gun rights forum?
Well,this article blowshuge holes into the Brady idea that reducing firearms in America will result in fewer suicides. Here in America, the Brady's claim30,694 people are killed by guns each year(2005 data) which includes 17,002suicides (2005 data) committed with a gun. This means 55% of ALL firearms deaths in America are actually suicides, and are not related to "gun violence" at all.The Brady logicappears to be"ifwe could getguns out of the hands of suicidal persons, we could reduce overall suicides". At least that is the rational I'mpicking up from their arguments.
But what happens in a country where thecitizens generally don't have the right to own firearms? Shouldn't the overall suicide rate be much lower? If you believe the Brady logic that would be the case, but it's not.
For decades the pro-rights side of the gun control debate has argued that firearms are only a tool, and if guns are banned or restricted in America, suicidal persons will simply seek out alternative methods (hanging, jumping, cutting, etc.) to achieve their objective. The above article not only proves that idea is correct, it also points to the real problem and cause of suicides in Japan; societal pressures to achieve success, depression, and culturaltraditions that frown upon admitting weakness. Tellingly absent from the excuses forhigh suicide rates in Japan:"easy access to firearms.
This only goes to prove, gun control is not about reducing suicides, it's geared toward elimination of rights and liberties, making us all dependant upon the government for protection, and nanny state politics. Including suicides in their "gun violence" statistics is a strategy only meant to fluff the numbers andtrick the public into believing that crime involving guns is a biggerproblem than it really is.
