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Abstract
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TO THE EDITOR:
I read Morgan and colleagues' brief research report with interest. Approximately 1% of persons in the United States will die by suicide. Older men and women have the highest suicide rate in almost all countries—including those with limited access to firearms, such as Japan and China, where the rate of suicide in elderly persons is nearly 3 times that in the United States.
Morgan and colleagues cite a review by Anglemyer and associates that concludes that access to firearms is associated with risk for suicide and being the victim of homicide. However, this review was not specific to elderly persons, which makes extrapolating these findings to that population difficult. Morgan and colleagues conclude that “limiting access to lethal weapons for the older adult population represents an important avenue for suicide prevention.” On the basis of their study, it is impossible for Morgan and colleagues to draw this conclusion. There is no evidence that limiting access to firearms would change the overall rate of suicide among elderly persons in the United States. Limited access to firearms may reduce the risk for suicide by firearms, but evidence to support that the overall suicide rate would decrease is lacking. This fact is corroborated by the previously mentioned higher rates of suicide among elderly persons in countries with exceptionally limited access to firearms. According to Morgan and colleagues' logic, we should also limit access to acetaminophen, ropes, automobiles, stairs, knives, bathtubs, and a host of other potential suicide risks.
Language: en |