Reply #325: Fine then, 1% of *violent crime* involving a firearm

[Euromutt]

Last time I heard, it wasn't crime to off yourself. Even classing suicide as a violent act is disingenuous if you ask me, since it only ever happens when a gun is used. You never hear anyone talk about "rope violence" or "sleeping pill violence" or "high bridges violence," do you? Classing firearm suicides as "gun violence" is just a way to pad the numbers of "gun violence deaths" by more than 100%.

And, if I may be blunt, I don't think the state has any right to stop people from killing themselves; it's a violation of the most fundamental human right, namely that of self-determination. That's not to say I think the state shouldn't try to persuade people not to kill themselves, but if it fails to dissuade them, that should be that. Moreover, by taking guns away, you're not solving the problem that's making this person suicidal. Once again, gun control is what you do to be seen to be doing something, while not actually doing anything useful.

And better that people shoot themselves instead of jumping in front of trains and inflicting emotional trauma on the drivers, or gassing themselves with hydrogen sulfide gas in the bathroom and putting everyone in the apartment building in danger, or jumping off a bridge or tall building (possibly hitting someone beneath, inflicting emotional trauma on bystanders, and snarling up traffic for hours, like Seattle gets on the Aurora Bridge http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=3664).