Scott Alexander explores why US suicide rates aren't higher despite high gun ownership, concluding that the US likely has a low base rate elevated by gun availability.
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Scott Alexander investigates why the US doesn't have higher suicide rates despite high gun ownership. He examines data showing guns increase suicides within the US, but the US doesn't have higher rates internationally. Scott proposes that the US may have a very low base suicide rate due to factors like religiosity and ethnic diversity, which is then elevated by gun availability. He concludes that a gun-free US might have one of the lowest suicide rates in the developed world, around 5-6 per 100,000. The post warns against simplistic 'gotcha' arguments using international comparisons without deeper analysis.
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