MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
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THEME 1<br />
and Wales, 36 per cent of suicides among farmers involve guns, whereas<br />
guns are used in only 4 per cent of suicides among non-farmers. 29 Information<br />
from other settings is not available.<br />
The risk of suicide increases significantly with age; those over the age of<br />
60 have three times the suicide rate of those 15–29 years old. While rates are<br />
similar for men and women early in life, by the age of 45, men commit suicide<br />
at twice the rate of women, 30 although women are two to three times more<br />
likely than men to make an attempt. There are no global statistics available<br />
yet on suicide by method, but the gender discrepancy between attempts<br />
and completion rates could be partly due to men’s overwhelming access to<br />
and use of guns: in the US, men are almost eight times more likely than<br />
women to complete a suicide with a gun (the rates were 11.07 per 100,000<br />
for men and 1.39 per 100,000 for women in 2002). 31<br />
A primary risk factor: The presence of a gun<br />
Because of the particular lethality of guns and the relative ease of using them<br />
compared to many other suicide methods, doctors and suicide counsellors<br />
recommend that guns be removed from the environments of individuals<br />
who are at risk of suicide—such as those suffering from depression or who<br />
have recently had a traumatic experience, such as the loss of a loved one. 32<br />
The WHO considers access to a firearm a significant independent risk factor<br />
for suicide. 33 This is supported by research in the US indicating that the mere<br />
presence of a gun in the home increases by a factor of five the risk that a<br />
suicide will take place there. 34 Even more compelling, suicide is the leading<br />
cause of death in the 12 months following a handgun purchase. 35<br />
Measures to reduce gun suicide<br />
While reducing access to guns might not reduce the number of attempted<br />
suicides, it undoubtedly can reduce the rate of completed suicides, and thus<br />
considerably reduce self-directed mortality. A number of steps can help<br />
achieve this goal.<br />
1. Institute mandatory waiting periods for gun licensing and/or gun purchase.<br />
Among the measures adopted by Canada in the 1990s to regulate gun ownership<br />
was a mandatory 28-day waiting period for a firearm certificate. Waiting<br />
periods can limit access to the most lethal tool to commit suicide by those<br />
who intend to kill themselves.<br />
2. Screen small arms purchasers for serious mental illness. Many countries<br />
restrict or prohibit small arms ownership for those with serious mental<br />
illnesses that are associated with violence or self-harm. For these screening<br />
mechanisms to be effective, however, background checks must be able to<br />
access/check certain kinds of medical records. This is not yet routine.<br />
3. Institute safe storage requirements. Requiring that guns be locked unloaded,<br />
with the ammunition locked away separately, can prevent some of the most<br />
tragic and preventable gun suicides—those committed by young people<br />
with guns kept by their parents. In 2002, the Norwegian Armed Forces changed<br />
19