Suicide has been identified as one of the major causes of unpreventable deaths in the world today. It has been estimated that more than 32000 people committed suicide in the year 2006 in America. It was ranked eighth in the causes of unpreventable deaths and took position nineteen in the leading causes of deaths of women in America. Most of these suicides have been committed using firearms which are in easy access to the general public. On average, it was estimated that forty six Americans commits suicide using a firearm every day, which accounts for fifty percent of the total suicides (Antonio & Katherine et al, 2010).
Prevention of suicide has been one of the emerging issues which have created attention to many organizations and governments. In America, suicide prevention is now a major agenda of majority of the American public health. It is also a goal of the activities of organizations such as Center of Disease Control (CDC). Gun control has been pointed out as one of the major steps which can be taken to help reduce the rate of suicide. However, this has drawn mixed reactions from the public and also organizations especially in America. They include those that support the move and other that oppose it (Antonio & Katherine et al, 2010).
In America, forty percent of the general public is reported to have guns in their homes. Calls for control on the rate of guns ownership have faced opposition who claim it as an infringement of their constitutional right to owning guns. Due to these complains, a background check was done which portrayed that the moves applied were driven at discouraging people from criminal backgrounds and other with ill motive from owning guns (Antonio & Katherine et al, 2010).
Gun control is a major step into the control of suicide today. It can have a high impact on the rate of suicide on male gender of the community which has been seen to have used firearms in committing suicide. This also will has another advantage as it will help reduce crime rates due to the fact that criminal gangs will be discouraged from owning guns (Antonio & Katherine et al, 2010).
References
Antonio, R., & Katherine, H. (2010). Gun control and suicide: The impact of state firearm regulations in the United States 1995–2004, Health Policy, 101 (2011), 95-103, Elsevier.
