flavinho

I'm not against firearm ownership, but for civilized people only. I see that suicides in USA are skyrocketing now and the used method is almost often fire weapons. I can use myself, for instance, I had depression for a long time, and unfortunately, I had several occasions with suicidal thoughts, and if I had a gun, I would surely kill myself in one of these occasions. If you're depressed, you need a treatment, but first, get rid of all your guns, because if you own one, you can't treat a depression properly, you won't have a second chance to think about it.
PS: my message isn't related to alcohol, but depression and alcoholism always walk together, so I think that this message should be pertinent in this forum as well. Thank you.

shortstop81

I'm trained on firearm use for my employment. I'm almost certain that if I kept a firearm at home I would possibly be dead by now, due to past alcohol abuse and severe depression.

cerd2000

I always wondered whether the USA has the highest amount of suicides of all Western nations due to easy access to firearms? Is there scientific backup on that? If people can go to a store and buy a gun without even needing a license and a psychiatric certificate, then basically all depressed/suicidal people in the USA could just kill themselves within the very same day?

My alcohol addiction also always went hand in hand with depressive thoughts and I'm very glad that the only dangerous weapons a private person can buy in my country without any obstacles are pepper sprays. I'm very glad that guns can only be obtained by private people with reasonable cause. Imagine you are drunk and have a gun at home - this is a recipe for disaster.

BeABetterMan

I think it’s important to discern between depression and depression with suicidal thoughts. I’ve struggled with depression for almost 20 years but only infrequently had suicidal ideation. I’ve owned guns that whole time and never felt at risk because of them.

shortstop81

Good point, BeABetterMan. I will say that I've had a lot of suicidal thoughts/ideation through my life. Much of it involving a firearm, and I know what kind of risk it would pose for me. I'm thankful that I don't own one, nor are they easy to come by in Canada.

Dropsie

Someone I have known most of my life mine killed himself over the weekend with a firearm. I did not know him well, but he was a good man. I do not know if any alcohol was involved but I am sure a gun was. He was depressed, but he did not have to die.