GVPanorama - My Dad’s Death and the Forgotten Half of America’s Gun Crisis
Access to a gun makes it eight times more likely to die by suicide
While on the search for recent gun violence prevention news for our weekly "Friday Finds” feature, we often come across editorials, personal stories, or wider-lens articles that don’t necessarily fit into a current events window. With “GVPanorama” we highlight some of these thought-provoking pieces.
Today’s GVPanorama comes from Time magazine. It’s an incredibly personal story that sadly but genuinely illustrates the instantaneous, irrevocable results of the decision to commit suicide by firearm.
While the usual debate about gun ownership revolves around self defense or mass shootings, as this article reminds us, “Of all gun-related deaths in 2023, 58% were suicides.” Starting from her own experience, the writer eventually learns about the immediacy of firearm self-harm compared to other forms, and explores historical and practical examples of reducing the likelihood of these tragic events.
“Owning a gun, in other words, can turn an intrusive thought into a death much faster and more effectively. It is impossible, then, not to place some of the blame for my dad’s death on the gun….”