Violence Policy Center executive director Josh Sugarmann is gleefully shouting from the rooftops that concealed carry licensees in Michigan are statistically more likely to commit suicide than is the general population. The Huffington Post presents Sugarmann's latest triumph:
According to information from the Michigan State Police, for the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008, 29 of Michigan's 164,793 concealed handgun license holders took their own lives for a concealed handgun license holder suicide rate of 17.6 per 100,000 license holders. For the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, 28 of Michigan's 182,749 concealed handgun license holders took their own lives for a concealed handgun license holder suicide rate of 15.3 per 100,000 license holders.
In comparison, in 2007 Michigan's suicide rate for the general population was 11.3 per 100,000. In 2008, the suicide rate for the general population was 11.7 per 100,000.
Well, OK--suicide is tragic and devastating--but what would Sugarmann have us do about it? Is it his contention that these suicides could have been avoided, if those concealed carry licensees who eventually committed suicide had been denied the licenses? That would, obviously, be a very difficult position for him to attempt to defend. Having a gun is not necessary to commit suicide (witness Japan's much higher suicide rate than in the U.S.--Japan's ultra-restrictive "gun control" laws notwithstanding). A concealed carry license has even far less to do with one's ability to kill oneself. Note also that Sugarmann doesn't even claim that the suicides in question were even committed with guns.
Note also that the sucide rate among concealed carry licensees is lower (by a fair margin) than that among law enforcement officers, and yet law enforcement officers are the "Only Ones" the VPC would have us trust with guns (to the extent that Sugarmann advocates an outright national ban on handguns for non-"Only Ones"). Just guessing here, but I'll go out on a limb and suggest that Sugarmann would prefer not to discuss the fact that alcohol abuse among law enforcement officers is about double that of the general population.
With Arizona now joining Vermont and Alaska, as states with Constitutional carry laws (permitless carry, open or concealed), there are now three states in which any adult who can legally own a handgun can also legally carry it concealed--is it Sugarmann's prediction that Arizona's suicide rate will now go up?
This is a continuation of the VPC's campaign to discredit defensive handgun carry, by pointing to a trickle of anecdotes about any killing committed by concealed carry licensees that has not yet been ruled a justifiable homicide. A look at those numbers (the VPC's own numbers), by the way, shows a much lower homicide rate among concealed carry licensees than among the general population.
By Sugarmann's "logic" (whereby equipping oneself to defend one's life is to be viewed as a suicide risk factor) those people without concealed carry licenses should be looked at with some suspicion.
See also:
Comments
Besides, they are comparing an adult population (CHL holders) to the general population (which includes kids). Not a valid comparison.
Very good point, Mr. Volk.
They are also ignoring that typically, CC License holders are older, whiter, and male. The highest suicide rates are for white men over 50.
In Sugarmans opinion, any blood to dance in is better than no blood at all.
Not to mention the fact that suicide, however tragic and terrible, is nobody else's business in the first place.
If we own our lives, we have just as much right to end them as to live them - on our own terms.
To play devil's advocate here, shouldn't Sugarman celebrate that (supposedly) gun carriers kill themselves more often that the average? That way the gun owning population is reduced by itself. A win for his side, no?
I wish someone would have told my mother and 4 other people I know, that since they did not carry a gun, they could not kill themselves (with ropes as the cases were). But then, that was in a more "progressive" country than this.
What Sugarman is really showing is that any straw is better than none when desperate to hold on to something.
What is the suicide rate for police officers, doctors, lawyers, etc.. The group a person is in does not cause them to commit suicide, their morale character does. Because that is a broad statement I want to clarify my position. I believe there are legitimate reasons to commit suicide and it should not be a crime and they should be able to get the help of a doctor or similar person. Pain is one such reason. If a person has uncontrollable pain from cancer or other ailment, they should be able to die with dignity if they so choose.
He's rightfully getting trashed for this article. You can't compare suicide rates for two different subgroups and have it mean anything. There are confounding factors at work.
I've posted my rebuttal at MAgunowner.blogspot.com
As a stat researcher I know how numbers can be twisted and manhandled to prove a point and that is what it sounds like Sugarman's people have done. If this is a valid study then present all the facts and procedures used to arrive at the results and let's see if the facts do stand up. How many of these CCW holders worked in law enforcement at some time in their life or any profession that required use of a gun versus the general population minus kids? How many of these people sought help before committing suicide? As an ex-suicide hotline worker, talk about stress try that sometime, I know most suicides reach out for a reason to live but the system ignores them. So how many of these were already known to the system that failed them. Is it legitimate to consider them as part of the group if the system failed to help them? To say the least, the make up of the target study group is suspect at best Mr. Sugarman and you may just be another media buffoon looking to cash in on someone's else's tragic death.
It is simply anti-gun rhetoric with a flair for publicity for Sugarmann.
. He is thinking few people would question this stat. I can make CC comparisons to many ethnic groups all day long proving little or nothing. We also can make CC comparisons to a drop in national crime rates. Discussing any negatives about CC is the name of his game. Expect nothing different.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!