mindlesspuppet said:
badgersprite said:
The reason I think people with the more severe mental illnesses and psychological disorders shouldn't be allowed to own guns (and I'm speaking as a bipolar person here) is that we're way more likely to commit suicide when we have access to firearms. Guns account for a huge proportion of suicides in the US. And presumably in other countries with similar laws and similar mental illness figures.
I'm not saying that the absence of guns makes people less likely to kill themselves. My own grandfather hung himself after the government reclaimed his firearms, but, hey, the next time I sink into a depressed state and my condition renders me unable to think or reason clearly, the last thing I want to have in the house then is a lethal implement like a gun. I damn well want to live, but my disorder very much overrides me the person when it strikes. If I don't trust myself around guns, then it goes without saying that I don't really trust people in similar mental health situations either...
I can see what you're saying, but the United Stats is actually ranked pretty low as far as suicide rate is concerned. I suppose a gun would certainly make things easier mechanically, but in the end if you decide to take your own life it wouldn't be hard to find alternate means.
To add to this; most guns are outlawed in Japan, yet their suicide rate is the 5th highest in the world.
Edit: Sorry for back to back posts, thought I edited ><
Just coming in to put my two cents:
In Finland, we have strict gun control - you can't get a licence for citing personal defence. YOu need to be able to prove you are part of a hunting club/shooting club/other legal gun-hobby related organization and active in it.
You also need to have proof of your competence with a weapon.
Any crime can be used as grounds to revoke your licence(s) - yes, you need a new licence for every gun.
Carrying a gun in a public place is a crime, concealed or not. When not in use, the gun needs to be in a locked gun-safe or in direct transit from your home to the place of use and even then must be missing the key components required to make it functional. The only exception are made for police, MPs and on a case-to-case basis for private guards - most of those guards will never get the exception to carry a gun in public or at their workplace, you need to be able to show the necessity of having a gun as opposed to a tazer, pepperspray and so forth.
Despite these, we have a frakton of guns in the country.
But guess what? Gun-related crime is ridiculously low in relation to the amount for guns we have. The largest amount of deaths caused by guns come from suicides - the rate of which is quite large as well. A crime where gun is used, the gun can often be traced to a particular owner or a previous crime where it was stolen - giving the police more to go with about their perpetrator.
The end result? Relatively safe streets. Police able to keep a control on things. Beyond a few extremely rare areas near the capital, you don't need to fear for your life even during the night.
Of course other bas stuff still happens - muggings, theft, rape and so forth. But the victim often stays alive, the cops don't have to worry about a random punk on the streets pulling a gun on them and the perpretators are often found and punished as per the law.
Strict gun control is not directly tied to suicide rates. It, or lack of it, are also not directly tied to crime rates. All it does affect is the potential for lethal firepower at the fingertips of everyone - which in turn affects the amount of deaths from those crimes that are perpretated.
