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Opinion: Taking away our guns would probably cause suicides to plummet

A newly assembled AR-15 rifle at the Stag Arms company in New Britain, Conn, on April 10, 2013.
(Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
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To the editor: There are few things as dangerous as a person who holds and espouses an erroneous belief with absolute certainty — especially when he also advocates holding a gun. (“Instead of taking away our guns, why not arm law-abiding citizens as protection from an attack?” Readers React, June 10)

One letter writer states, “It seems doubtful that absent a firearm, those who decide to commit suicide would not find other means.” Research shows exactly the opposite to be true.

As noted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other means of committing suicide require planning, and people often change their mind about taking their own life. In “Means Matter,” a 2008 study by the Harvard School of Public Health, it is pointed out that because gunshots are much more lethal than suffocation or poisoning, people get a second chance at life. A program in Israel that prevented soldiers from taking their guns home on weekend leave resulted in a 40% decrease in suicides.

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There is significantly more research backing up the idea that suicidal people who have access to guns are far more likely to succeed at taking their own life.

Andrew E. Rubin, Marina del Rey

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