Guns, Suicide And Mental Health

Along with the rest of the nation, Massachusetts is engaged in a loud debate about guns, gun rights and how to reduce gun violence. Over the weekend, some 200 supporters of tighter gun control rallied at the State House. It came just one week after 700 2nd amendment advocates protested gun control legislation being proposed on Beacon Hill.

At the heart of the debate: how to keep guns out of the hands of people like Adam Lanza, who massacred 26 people, including 20 children, at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. The debate has focused on assault weapons, high capacity magazines and how to stop potential killers.

But relatively little is being said about the biggest cause of gun deaths in America: suicides.

Guests

Matthew Miller, associate professor of Health Policy and Injury Prevention at Harvard University.

Marylou Sudders, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Mental Health.

Toni Harp,  state senator from New Haven, Conn.

More

Boston Globe "The gun toll we’re ignoring: suicide"

Boston Globe "Mass. keeps mental health data from FBI gun checks"