Concealed handgun license holders in the Wolverine State commit suicide at a rate higher than the general Michigan population according to information analyzed by my organization, the Violence Policy Center, as part of our Concealed Carry Killers project, an on-line resource that tallies reports of killings by concealed handgun permit holders that have not been determined to be legitimate self defense.
According to information from the Michigan State Police, for the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008, 29 of Michigan's 164,793 concealed handgun license holders took their own lives for a concealed handgun license holder suicide rate of 17.6 per 100,000 license holders. For the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, 28 of Michigan's 182,749 concealed handgun license holders took their own lives for a concealed handgun license holder suicide rate of 15.3 per 100,000 license holders.
In comparison, in 2007 Michigan's suicide rate for the general population was 11.3 per 100,000. In 2008, the suicide rate for the general population was 11.7 per 100,000. Only data for each calendar year is available and data for 2009 has not yet been released.
But the fact that Michigan concealed handgun license holders have a higher rate of suicide than the state's general population is even more striking given that Michigan law prohibits the issuance of concealed handgun licenses to persons where the local issuing authority has "probable cause to believe that the applicant would be a threat to himself or herself or to other individuals." Michigan's mental health standards for concealed handgun licenses go beyond the federal standards for gun possession. Under federal law, only those persons who have been "adjudicated as a mental defective" or committed to a mental institution are prohibited from possessing firearms.
Without doubt, these 57 deaths will be easily dismissed by pro-gun advocates--who are quick to throw their comrades in arms under the bus whenever the reality of guns in America fails to comport with their own blindered vision.
To date Concealed Carry Killers has documented 188 incidents since May 2007 in 28 states resulting in 276 deaths. In more than two-thirds (129 incidents), the concealed handgun permit holder has already been convicted, committed suicide, or was killed in the incident. Of the 59 cases still pending, the vast majority (49) of concealed handgun permit holders have been charged with criminal homicide, two were deemed incompetent to stand trial, two incidents were unintentional shootings, and six incidents are still under investigation.
If every state that allows concealed carry maintained the level of information and public disclosure that Michigan does, who knows how many additional hidden suicides and non-self defense killings we'd be aware of (Michigan is one of the few states, if not the only, that collects and releases such comprehensive data on those permitted to carry concealed weapons). What we do know, however, is that the debate over concealed carry in America would be far more well informed and the end result far, far different.
But therein lies the raw truth of the pro-concealed carry movement: They're afraid of the release of actual information--lest reality push aside rhetoric.
Follow Josh Sugarmann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VPCinfo
More that they don't want groups like VPC, MAIG, and Brady to misuse and misrepresent that data, as we have shown repeatedly they like to do -- just as reason that trace data got yanked from public access is because of abuses by groups like Brady, MAIG, and VPC.
Flaws in his CCW Suicide stats include comparing different age groups, including suicides by means other than firearms, and including suicides by means other than handguns (CCW is generally restricted to handguns).
When corrected for age 21 and up, which is the same age group as have concealed carry permits, the rate was 14.73 according to the CDC (2007, Michigan, Suicide Injury Deaths and Rates per 100,000, All Races, Both Sexes, Ages 21 to 85+, ICD-10 Codes: X60-X84, Y87.0,*U03).
The rate involving firearms was 7.36 (2007, Michigan, Suicide Firearm Deaths and Rates per 100,000, All Races, Both Sexes, Ages 21 to 85+, ICD-10 Codes: X72-X74).
Josh - are you having a tantrum yet?
From http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml
* Children ages 10 to 14 — 0.9 per 100,000
* Adolescents ages 15 to 19 — 6.9 per 100,000
Children 0-10 are essentially zero.
What is your proposed solution?
In light of this baseline observation, it is difficult to attach any significance to Mr. Sugarmann's showing. Aside from the observation that the sample size is too small to be of high statistical significance (and Mr. Sugarmann doesn't pretend to apply proper statistical principles), even if it is accepted as true it doesn't tell us anything. Presumably, almost all CCW holders already own guns and are already within the group of people who -- relative to the general population -- are a little more likely to be successful at suicide, should they try.
... So what does CCW have to do with anything?
The number you most likely commonly here is "90% of all guns seized in Mexico are from the US". This is false.
It is 90% of all guns that **could be traced** were from the US. I don't have all the numbers and reports handy, but I know someone on here does. Over 150,000 Mexican soldiers have deserted in the past 6 years. Those are 150,000 automatic rifles that technically came from the US, our government.
Any RPGs, grenades or other explosives as well as any automatic weapons did not come from the US. The Cartels control airports so smuggling shipments across land and sea is not difficult. Don't quote me on this but I believe anything sold on the black market out of china and south-east Europe will not have a serial number, so it can't be tracked.
I'm not saying that there isn't a smuggling black-market problem on our borders... of course there is. But that claim of 90% has been used to stir up public outrage and it's completely false.
I hope someone else jumps in here with the reports.
Read page 74 of thie following .pdf to see the Department of Homeland Security's view of the figures Henigan is citing. They're calling it BS.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09709.pdf”
Some are turned off by fox news but here's a link claiming a 17% figure:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/myth-percent-small-fraction-guns-mexico-come/
Factcheck.org is fairly liberal and offers this viewpoint, saying the number may be 36%
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/04/19/counting-mexico-s-guns.html
I personally looked at the available trace data from ATF and got 18% - the atf agent factcheck got info from appeared to have some "special" data that's not available. Such figures are highly suspect given the agenda driven focus of the largely anti-gun ATF.
It doesn't of course, but when all the facts are against you, sometimes strawmen are the only things you have. As such, Josh must resort to non-issues since the facts of the real issues are all against him.
Simple math proves that a demographically comparable slice of the Michigan general population would have a suicide rate greater than 19 per 100 thousand. So CCW permit holders as a population are actually LESS likely to commit suicide than a relevant portion of the general population.
-The suicide rate among males in Michigan is 18.9/100,000.
The vast majority of concealed carry permit holders are male.
His statistics for suicide in the general population include age groups that are not eligible to get concealed carry licenses, and which happen to have generally lower suicide rates than adult age groups.
Josh, what was the rate of suicides among male concealed carry permit holders, compared to the general suicide rate for males over the age of 21?
Here's a partial answer: the suicide rate among males 20 and over in Michigan is over 20 per 100,000. http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/PDF/statedatasheets/mi_datasheet.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/04/21/weekinreview/20070422_MARSH_GRAPHIC.html
When the gun grabbers tell you about the 81 "gun deaths" per day, 25 of them are white male suicides over the age of 40. Maybe the problem isn't guns, but hopelessness, divorce, and bad health.