Guns and Suicide: An American Epidemic

by Michael D. Anestis

Overview

The majority of gun deaths in the United States are suicide deaths, and the majority of suicide deaths are gun deaths. Most people are unaware that suicide, at nearly 43,000 deaths per year, is more common than homicide and other widely publicized tragedies. And yet, suicide is typically absent from discussions of gun violence. As such, the national conversation on gun violence is inadequate and unrelated to the majority of gun deaths in this country.

In Guns and Suicide, Michael Anestis reframes our perspective on gun violence by shifting the focus to suicide. Guns play a uniquely profound role in American suicide, and Anestis explains how they have this effect-not by making otherwise non-suicidal people want to die, but by facilitating suicide attempts among suicidal individuals. He reviews the evidence - in suicide and other public health concerns - that focusing on specific means for contracting an unwanted outcome (e.g., HIV) can successfully reduce the frequency of that outcome. With suicide, this could mean the passage of legislation related to firearm ownership and storage, non-legislative encouragement of safe storage of private firearms, voluntary and temporary removal of firearms from the home during times of distress, or a combination of these factors. Importantly, this is not a book about gun control. Anestis does not argue in favor of tighter restrictions on ownership, assault weapon bans, or longer waiting periods for purchase because these will not substantially reduce the staggering gun suicide rate. Rather, Anestis aims for a cultural shift towards suicide-specific safe gun ownership and puts forth unemotional suggestions in hopes of leveraging common ground in the pursuit of a lower suicide rate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190675066
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/05/2018
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Michael Anestis, PhD, is a leading expert on guns and suicide. He is the Nina Bell Suggs Professor of Psychology and Chair of Clinical Admissions at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research interests include suicide risk factors and firearms, the capacity for suicide, pain response, and emotion dysregulation. He was awarded the 2015 Rising Star award from the Association for Psychological Science.

Table of Contents

PART I: The problem

Introduction

Chapter 1 - The prominent role of guns in American suicide

Chapter 2 - Much of what you know about suicide is wrong

Chapter 3 - The reason why guns are such a powerful force in American suicide

Chapter 4 - Isn't this just a mental health problem, not a gun problem?

PART II: The solution

Chapter 5 - Lowering the national suicide rate requires means safety

Chapter 6 - Legislation as one method for implementing means safety measures for guns

Chapter 7 - Means safety and suicide prevention without legislation

Chapter 8 - Disarming common concerns about means safety

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"[Anestis] convincingly shows that the rising number of suicides among young people is the direct result of guns in our homes. He powerfully argues that a ban on guns will go a long way to lower the number of suicides in the United States . . . Guns and Suicide is a well-researched and well-argued book. It provides new perspectives on the question of gun rights in America." —The Washington Book Review

"Written by one of the rising stars of suicide prevention, Guns and Suicide is a penetrating and scholarly examination of some of the thorniest issues in contemporary American life. Dr. Anestis is truly one of the leading experts today on the interface between firearms and suicide and this superb and thorough exploration is an extraordinary contribution to the field. While many of us have passionate views about guns, suicide, and American culture, there is not a more thoughtful, balanced, and compelling examination of these topics-this is now the definitive source."

—David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Suicide Prevention Laboratory, The Catholic University

"Suicides have risen steadily for more than a decade in the United States, especially among subgroups like middle aged men and military Veterans. Few Americans are aware, however, that over half of these suicides involved self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The public is even less aware of the fact that over two-thirds of gun-related deaths are due to suicide, not homicide or accidents. In his book, Dr. Anestis effectively demonstrates the intimate connection between guns and suicide, and lays out a simple argument: if we want to prevent gun-related deaths,
then we need to be talking about suicide, and if we want to prevent suicide, then we need to be talking about guns. If we are going to save lives, public discourse surrounding guns must change. Dr. Anestis' book will help catalyze that change."

—Craig J. Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, Executive Director, National Center for Veterans Studies

From the Publisher