Letter: Prevent Suicides, Lock Up Guns

 

I applaud Delegate Paul Krizek's Opinion piece in the Dec.

15-21 Mount Vernon Gazette on Suicide Prevention.

However, in my opinion it fell short in the paragraph "what can we do to

prevent suicide across the spectrum."

One of the nine signs listed was, "collecting pills or buying a weapon."

Use of the word weapon in this warning sign is the only mention of guns

in the entire Opinion piece.

Clearly one of the things we can do to prevent suicide is to lock up all

guns in the home. Only the gun owner should have access to the secured

gun cabinet.

Consider firearms are used in half of all suicide deaths and suicides

make up three of every five gun deaths. Suicide by firearm is almost always

deadly — 9 out of 10 firearm suicide attempts result in death. Every day

64 Americans die from firearm suicide, one every 22 minutes. In 2019,

23,941 Americans died by firearm suicide.

I believe suicide is a rash, emotional, spur of the moment decision, in

many cases.

If there is no gun available, I believe the suicide rate would

plummet.

Gun owners, LOCK UP YOUR GUNS. 


John Bergen

Alexandria