When people who oppose gun control don’t want to say, “Hey, yeah, I think that we should allow ordinary citizens to own ballistic weapons without so much as a background check,” they don’t do that. Instead, they say, “We shouldn’t focus on gun control – we should focus on mental health.” It’s a lovely political pivot from a group of people who don’t want to actually focus on things which will stop gun deaths.
Related: They then do less than nothing to help people with mental illness.
I’ve attacked that argument before, but now I’d like to add to it: Gun control measures – and specifically Red Flag laws – can help stop suicides.
What is a “Red Flag Law”?
A “Red Flag Law” – also known as an Emergency Risk Protective Order – is a formal court proceeding. They vary from state to state but have the same characteristics: If a person is making threats or found to be a danger to themselves or others, someone (such as a family member or police officer) can petition the Court to have an individual’s guns temporarily removed from their possession. They’ve been promulgated as an effort to stop mass shootings, but the data thus far shows that they are more beneficial in the fight against suicide.
Limiting Access To Deadly Means Stops Suicide
Multiple studies and historical experience have proved it – if you limit someone’s access to the means of suicide, you can reduce suicides. And that is precisely why Red Flag laws are so important for reducing suicides. If crafted appropriately, a red flag law can result in the removal of a gun from someone who may hurt themselves with it.
So, yes. Here’s an area where we can help mental illness – but it’s via sane gun control measures.
Red flag laws are relatively new, so the research on them is somewhat limited. But, from what’s available, they work. For example, take a look at the experience of states like Indiana and Connecticut, which enacted red flag laws relatively recently:
“In Indiana, after the enactment of the law [in 2005], we saw a 7.5 percent decrease in firearms suicides in the 10 years that followed,” Kivisto said. “We didn’t see any notable increase or decrease in non-firearms suicide.”
“And so when we looked at it from 2007 and beyond [in Connecticut], [gun suicides] decreased by 13.7 percent,” Kivisto said.
This furthers the idea that access to deadly means can help control for suicide.
Suicide is a massive societal problem, one which belies simple solutions, involves multiple areas of public policy and will require significant investment to truly tackle. That being said, some small laws can make a big difference, and reducing access to suicidal means can do just that.
Mike Schlossberg - Author 