[anExcitedBeast]

For the sake of dealing with better numbers, about a third of that figure is suicide. And very, very, very few gun deaths are by rifle. Last year ~9k people were shot in the US - ~8450 by handgun, ~300 by shotgun, and many of those killed by rifles were shot by police.

I know this doesn't change the calculus for most people. Just trying to get more realistic figures into the conversation.

[madaxe_again]

The suicide rate in the US is twice that of the UK - take from that what you will, but brits are as a whole a pretty depressed bunch, and I dare say gun availability is a factor in suicide prevalence - the professions with the highest rates of suicide tend to be those that easily provide the tools to definitely painlessly kill yourself - doctors, dentists, veterinarians, farmers.

I'm hypothesising, but I honestly think reducing availability of firearms would cause more people to not be able to kill themselves with facility, and therefore more likely to have the time to reconsider or seek help.

[pigpaws]

Thankfully, it isn't someone else's choice when, how or where a person makes the decision. People will find a way.

I was in EMS for 15 years. There are worse ways to go... Bleach for example... really, any other way is worse if you think about it. everything else drags out the pain and suffering.

...but guns are louwd and scawy..

[njpatel]

"brits are as a whole a pretty depressed bunch" - have you been watching TV again?