General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: On guns, and the way the discussions are conducted. [View all]farminator3000
(2,117 posts)As to your idea that the availability of a tool doesn't affect the amount of murder, this is completely false. Most murders don't start out with intent to kill. They start out either as arguments or as other crimes that end up escalating. Since guns are far more deadly than other weapons, such situations result in murder far more frequently if guns are available. This is one of the reasons why the US has by far the highest homicide rate among wealthy nations, even though our rates of violent crimes overall are not unusually high.
The situation is similar with suicides. A lot of suicidal impulses are temporary, and the availability of easy and lethal means (i.e. a gun) often means the difference between a completed suicide attempt and survival. This is why many studies have found that individual gun ownership significantly increases suicide risk.
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it just really comes down to boys playing with toys, doesn't it?