slowguy wrote:
Kay Serrar wrote:
rick_pcfl wrote:
Kay Serrar wrote:
US suicide statistics 2001 (the first stats I stumbled across when looking):
Firearms 55%
Hanging or suffocation 20%
Poisoning 17%
Falls 2%
Cutting 1.5%
Drowning 1.1%
Fire 0.5%
So yes, I believe that not having accessible firearms in the house with kids living there is a wise choice. Suicidal thoughts amongst teenagers going through puberty is not uncommon. I believe that as a parent of a teenager, I am being far more responsible by NOT having a firearm accessible in the house, than having one based on an irrational fear of home invasion. Others clearly view things differently.
And if that fear of home invasion is not irrational, then moving to a safer neighborhood should be considered.
I've read that ridiculous argument from several people. You realize that criminals have cars and can travel outside of their own neighborhoods? I live in a nice neighborhood, it has been targeted by criminals several times in the 12 years that I have lived here. Is there some magic place that criminals stay away from because it is too nice or safe?
People like you like to say that gun owners have an "irrational fear", but the truth is that it isn't irrational because home invasions and burglaries happen every day. You may want to look up the meaning of that word.
You remind me of my 10 year old daughter who sees a news story of a house burning down and gets frightened that ours will burn down too. I explain that yes, houses sometimes burn down, but also that the TV news doesn't report on the millions of homes that didn't burn down yesterday.
If you feel the desire to have a gun in your home, and it's legal, then go for it. Just understand the increased risks of suicide or homicide of one of your family members by doing so. If after assessing that risk you still want a gun in your home, then that's fine too. Just be aware of the statistics.
And here's a book you might want to read:
https://www.amazon.com/...=how+not+to+be+wrong As you advise others not to be irrationally afraid of very uncommon occurrences, you might consider the relative rarity of suicides. It's not like getting a gun means someone will kill themselves in your house.
Completely agree. You should read that book - it's actually a pretty entertaining read.
When a study finds "eating bacon doubles your risk of heart disease" one may think, "Oh, I'd better stop eating bacon". But then you read on, and find that, say, eating 4oz of bacon a day (quite a lot of bacon) increases your risk of heart disease from 0.1% to 0.2% (i.e. still a very low risk). In other words, you really have to understand the numbers, not just read the headline.
But you also have to still (subjectively) consider the consequences too, and how much they matter to you. For example, if having a gun in my home increases the risk of my child committing suicide by 40% (as the study I cited above found), then while it is still a small risk, that increase in likelihood is simply unacceptable for me to take because the consequences are too great.