Having read about many suicides over my life, one thing strikes me as being common. They are, for the most part, well planned. They aren’t generally a spur of the moment event.
I suspect a review of a thousand suicides would find very few where 24 hours would have made any difference in the outcome.
Many years ago I was in a lawsuit with my former business partner who lived thirty miles away. Among other problems, he’d become involved with a crime figure, even marrying the man’s daughter. I came home early one day to find my former partner leaving my neighborhood with a greasy looking hood in the passenger seat of his car. I decided I needed a gun right away. There was a 24 hour cooling off period in my county. I called a pawn shop gun dealer I’d sat gun show tables for in the next county where there was no waiting period.
Funny story. He was filling out the paperwork and said, “You’ve never shown an interest in anything like this. (Hidden hammer Smith Model 49) You’re strictly Civil War. What’s up?” I told him what happened and he flipped the paperwork onto the floor and stepped on it, saying, “The gun’s a gift. Best of luck.”
Several years later, I gave it back.
“The gun’s a gift. Best of luck.”
= = =
A perfect example of the true intent of “Keep and Bear”.
Suicide prevention has nothing to do with this push.
I my self don’t own a firearm. I have no desire but for the fact that if I ever do need to own a firearm. I could be dead before the waiting period because of not being able to get one in time....the waiting period is stupid. no criminal history you should be able to get a fire arms within hours of deciding to purchase it....it is the fact that most of the population is armed and no how to use a fire arm that actualy keep politicians in line. this wait period is not about preventing suicide its about getting less and less of the population to own firearms.