The Atlantic, May 2013
ARTICLE SUMMARY:
More Americans die now of suicide than car accidents, with an increase of 28% from 1999 to 2010. While the economic crisis contributed to these figures, suicide rates by state showed more stable state economies had higher rates. Another possible contributing factor is gun ownership, this article argues, as guns are used in half of all suicides. The Harvard School of Public Health reported "in states where guns were prevalent—as in Wyoming, where 63 percent of households reported owning guns—rates of suicide were higher. The inverse was also true: where gun ownership was less common, suicide rates were also lower."
