Guns

NPR -  When gun violence in America is discussed, people typically think about mass shootings, homicides or even domestic violence. But, in fact, the majority of gun-related deaths in the United States are suicides. In 2023, more than 42,967 people died from gun related injuries. Over half of those deaths were suicides. ... Paul Nestadt, a psychiatrist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, is one of the country's leading researchers in suicide and what leads to it. He says most people don't know how prevalent suicide is because we shy away from the topic in our personal relationships and in the media."When there's a mass shooting or homicides, there's a lot more coverage, and of course, those are very tragic, but suicides kind of kind of slip under the radar a little bit," Nestadt said. "There's not as much willingness to talk about them. I think that's changing. It becomes hard to ignore as the rates climb."... Pills are more often used in suicide attempts—though most attempts involving pills are not fatal.... "Most suicide attempts in the U.S. are by overdose or poisoning things like sleeping pills or Tylenol or opiates," Nestadt said. "And yet those are usually non-fatal. Only about 2% of people that make an attempt by overdose die. But firearms, which are only used in about five or 6% of attempts, are so lethal that if you happen to have access to a firearm, when that impulse comes and you use that firearm, the chance of death is 90%."