Also, note the report doesn’t show how many of the “30 percent were the result of homicide” were justifiable, e.g., self-defense, versus criminal, e.g., murder, voluntary manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular homicide.

TN Code 39-11-613. Protection of life or health. —

A person is justified in threatening or using force, but not deadly force, against another, when and to the degree the person reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent the other from committing suicide or from the self-infliction of serious bodily injury.

As in, “100% of the suicides were committed with a gun in 30% of the cases.” Statistics can be bent in any direction, depending on the wording.

But I guess it’s easier to scare people if you use bigger numbers.

/interest spikes

*I would argue that it is also abusive to the responders to the scene inasmuch as not matter how “tough” cops and paramedics try to act, there is nothing quite like seeing someone who put a pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Blood, especially the amount that comes from a wound to the head, smells awful.

Is suicide really a violent crime?

It’s usually illegal, and it’s typically violent (or at least messy).

I don’t think it’s a particularly useful number to toss around, simply because it doesn’t follow the same pathways as other violent crimes, and the victim usually doesn’t consider it quite as harmful.