Gun control’s inclusion of suicide in its made-up propaganda term, “gun violence,” is nothing short of shameful. Considering red flag laws and universal background checks are their only solutions, they really should be embarrassed.
In the 20 years from 2004 to 2023, the U.S. suicide rate rose 33 percent, according to data from the CDC. Over that time, 927,276 Americans ended their own lives. 480,573 used a gun; 446,703 used other methods, chiefly suffocation by hanging and poison.
Gun control zealots constantly push emergency restraining protective orders or red flag laws, citing only anecdotal evidence for support.
Looking at the states with red flag laws over the five-year period from 2019 to 2023, there was a very minor reduction (0.03%) in the suicide rate but an 11% increase in the percentage of suicides committed with firearms.
By comparison, the states without red flag laws saw a smaller increase of eight percent.
When Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, there was a stipulation attached to the grants available to states enacting red flag laws. The requirement was a strict adherence to the constitutional rights of the individual who was the subject of the order. No more ex parte hearings where the person is not only absent, but has received no notice that there was a hearing. The first time these citizens became aware was when the police showed up to collect their guns.
There were also requirements for the evidence in the petition for red flag orders. No more hearsay. No more incidents like Stephen Nichols’ ordeal in Tisbury, Massachusetts, in 2019. Nichols, 84, was a retired police officer who worked as a school crossing guard. Based on an out-of-context snippet of conversation overheard by a waitress, Nichols was stripped of his guns and his credentials and lost his job. He was later reinstated after a hearing in which he was included, but the school board praised the police department for doing such a good job.
In addition to ignoring the hundreds of thousands of suicides carried out without guns, the essential stupidity of red flag laws is the fact the person may be deprived of their firearms, but they’re left in a home containing belts, extension cords, medications, and a variety of other ways to end it all.
Are we surprised that another gun control law doesn’t work as promised? No, we are not.
Worse, there is no requirement for follow-ups. No examinations for mental health issues, no counseling. No obligation on the part of anyone to help the victim of the red flag laws. Just grab the guns and go.
Background checks are even more idiotic. There’s no real data on how long it is between the time-of-purchase and time-of-use. Small wonder the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention partnered with the NSSF for its awareness campaign.
Suicide is an important part of gun control messaging. Without suicides, the gun-grabbers would be stuck with just homicide and accidents, which would be disastrous.
“Gun violence” allows Everytown, Giffords, Brady, and the rest to point to states they don’t like and gloss over the fact that a number of these states have lower rates of violence, including with guns, than the states they brag about. Six of the ten states with the lowest gun homicide rates not only don’t have the laws the gun control fans want, but they’re constitutional carry states.
Idaho, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming all have lower homicide rates than California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. In Wyoming in 2023, less than 8% of the firearm-related deaths were homicides. In Montana, the number was slightly more than 12%. Montana has the highest estimated rate of gun ownership in America. About two-thirds of Montana households have one or more firearms.
Once again, the gun control gang continues to peddle its snake oil. Like the nostrums hawked by the slick conmen in the old-time traveling medicine shows, it isn’t intended to cure anything. It’s all to grab the guns.
About Bill Cawthon
Bill Cawthon first became a gun owner 55 years ago. He has been an active advocate for Americans’ civil liberties for more than a decade. He is the information director for the Second Amendment Society of Texas.
