Posted on Aug 9, 2017
Taking away troops' guns would reduce suicides, study finds
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This is indeed interesting. I get it. We should want safeguards to ensure those identified as high risk for suicide not have ease of access to privately owned weapons in same manner we sigh the Lautenburg agreement in regards to domestic violence and gun ban. But enforcing any mental health mandates will have it's challenges especially if individual is currently serving as opposed to a discharged veteran. Properly identifying and diagnosing an individual is also a challenge. All they do is ask if you had suicidal thoughts and if you say 'no' and you know you're lying, help pretty much ends there. Hard topic and I'm curious of other's thoughts.
UPDATE.
I appreciate the comments. So far everyone is focused on gun rights and not what is in the best interests of an individual who has been positively identified as a suicide risk. Perhaps some of you are right; the only solution is to discharge them for mental health issues and lock them away until they prove themselves mentally fit to rejoin society armed with a gun, knife, rope, prescription drugs, and a car.
UPDATE.
I appreciate the comments. So far everyone is focused on gun rights and not what is in the best interests of an individual who has been positively identified as a suicide risk. Perhaps some of you are right; the only solution is to discharge them for mental health issues and lock them away until they prove themselves mentally fit to rejoin society armed with a gun, knife, rope, prescription drugs, and a car.
Taking away troops' guns would reduce suicides, study finds
Posted from militarytimes.com
Mental Health
Suicide
Policy
Gun Control
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 23
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So are they going to take all sharps/knives? What about belts and shoe/boot laces? For those who can create an explosive device from common kitchen/bathroom chemicals, are all chemicals to be banned as well? Maybe all vets should be secluded on a desert island naked where they can't hurt themselves.
WHAT A CROCK! If someone is determined to kill themselves of another they WILL find a way!
WHAT A CROCK! If someone is determined to kill themselves of another they WILL find a way!
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CW3 Harvey K.
Exactly.
There is an implicit assumption being made that "Guns cause suicide!"
Americans are apparently so incompetent in suicide that they can't keep up with the suicide rates of other nations, even with the use of guns, that most efficient tool for that purpose.
The USA, # 1 in gun ownership, is in 50th place worldwide, tied with Uruguay at 12.1 suicides per 100,000. That is far behind "gun free" South Korea with the second highest suicide rate in the world ----- 28.9 / 100,000, even though South Korea is 148th in the world in gun ownership with 1.1 guns per 100 people.
If you prefer to look at a European Culture for comparison, it is interesting to note that while Lithuania has the lowest rate of firearm proliferation in Europe, 0.7 per 100 people, (about 64% of the gun ownership rate of South Korea) it still manages to somehow attain the 4th highest suicide rate in the entire world, 28.2 per 100,000.
The highest rate of suicide (44.2 / 100,000) is in Guyana, where there are apparently not enough guns to go around, and the prevalent suicide method is to poison yourself with insecticides.
There is an implicit assumption being made that "Guns cause suicide!"
Americans are apparently so incompetent in suicide that they can't keep up with the suicide rates of other nations, even with the use of guns, that most efficient tool for that purpose.
The USA, # 1 in gun ownership, is in 50th place worldwide, tied with Uruguay at 12.1 suicides per 100,000. That is far behind "gun free" South Korea with the second highest suicide rate in the world ----- 28.9 / 100,000, even though South Korea is 148th in the world in gun ownership with 1.1 guns per 100 people.
If you prefer to look at a European Culture for comparison, it is interesting to note that while Lithuania has the lowest rate of firearm proliferation in Europe, 0.7 per 100 people, (about 64% of the gun ownership rate of South Korea) it still manages to somehow attain the 4th highest suicide rate in the entire world, 28.2 per 100,000.
The highest rate of suicide (44.2 / 100,000) is in Guyana, where there are apparently not enough guns to go around, and the prevalent suicide method is to poison yourself with insecticides.
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I wish the article and the referenced study stated what the expected outcome of taking a member's gun(s) away from them would be (as well as their reasoning). I suspect the actual result of the policy is likely to be that "suicide by car exhaust" increases to fill the newly created "gun gap". There is also a likely potential for the policy to result in an increase in total suicides rather than a reduction.
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MAJ James Woods
Agree. If someone wants to kill themselves, they'll find a way. I think policy is looking to give leaders more proactive options to protect those in the high risk category which is still vaguely defined.
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MAJ James Woods
So what do you think the agenda is? And who is leading this effort? Every agenda has someone spearheading it.
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MSgt Danny Hope
MAJ James Woods - That is true. I think the underlying agenda is to erode the 2nd Ammendment
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MAJ James Woods
MSgt Danny Hope - DoD and the Trump administration wants to erode the 2nd amendment? We're talking about the GOP government.
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MSgt Danny Hope
MAJ James Woods - Actions not words...there are people on both sides of the political spectrum that would like to see the 2nd severly restricted
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