Mike Levin: “this week, May 6-12, is National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the United…”

“this week, May 6-12, is National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. This devastating tragedy takes the lives of more than 30,000 Americans each year, and brings suffering and loss to the lives of the friends and family who are left behind. Citing suicide as a ``national public health problem,'' the U.S. Surgeon General recently announced a national strategy for suicide prevention. Central to the strategy is promoting awareness of the fact that suicide is, indeed, preventable and that we must all do our part to help end this tragedy. One of the Surgeon General's main goals for preventing suicide is to reduce access to lethal means of suicide of which guns are the most deadly. I commend the Surgeon General for recognizing the need to address the role that guns play in our Nation's staggering suicide rate. Firearms account for 60 percent of all suicides, making them the most commonly used method of suicide and; Each year more Americans die in suicides by firearms than in murders by firearms. The national suicide prevention strategy recommends a public campaign to reduce the accessibility of lethal means of suicide, including firearms, and urges the gun industry to improve firearm safety design.”