If you own a gun, you have a higher risk of killing yourself, according to Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy.
On Wednesday night, the Democrat told CBS New York that guns don’t actually make homes safer, but instead increase the chances of a children or others killings themselves — on purpose.
“There’s a reality that 19,000 people are going to commit suicide because there’s a gun in their house,” he said. “And if there wasn’t a gun in that house and they didn’t commit suicide at that time, their chances of committing suicide at any time decreases by 90 percent.”
He also added that he hoped for increased federal legislation in the areas of background checks, straw purchasers and gun trafficking.
The Governor’s remarks came after a 30-minute conversation with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been an outspoken supporter of harsher gun legislation. The two men met to discuss Connecticut’s new gun law, which Malloy signed in early April. The new law expands the state’s assault weapons ban, implements universal background checks and bans the purchase of high-capacity magazines.
The legislation passed the Senate 26-10 and the state House of Representatives 105-44 — most likely riding the wake of emotion that followed the Sandy Hook shooting in December.
Governor Malloy’s statements were not wholly unjustified, however. According to a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, the states with the highest suicide rates are the ones with the highest percentages of gun ownership in America.
Yet it seems that Malloy’s judgment may have been clouded in making his statement. It is true that individuals can kill themselves with guns in their home, and that there is a higher risk of suicide among people who have access to guns. An individual can also kill themselves, however, using a rope, a knife, bleach or painkillers — all objects that can be easily found in a home.
The governor also seems to have forgotten the fact that the link between the presence of guns in homes and suicide rates is not definitive. Other factors, such as alcoholism, drug abuse or depression, can also contribute to higher suicide rates. Same with marital status, race and gender.
