It is no secret that when a member of the gun control industry speaks of “gun deaths” they are purposefully including suicides by gun. By not disclosing that suicides are about 65% of all guns deaths, they create dread in the public by making “gun deaths” appear to be a growing menace.

But this got me to wondering if there is a hidden agenda to them broadcasting this canard more frequently. There is. Because over the last seven years of records, more people have been killing themselves.

Since in the U.S. guns are a preferred means of suicide (where as in Canada poison is more popular), any upward change in suicide rates makes it look like guns are a growing problem.

Firearm homicides have remained rather static in recent years, as the chart shows. However, suicides started rising sharply along with the Great Recession. This is a common occurrence — hard times cause some people to escape their economic woes via self-inflicted death. Between 1999 and 2013, the suicide rate went 24% higher and the firearm suicide rate rose proportionately. Whereas the ratio between gun suicides and gun homicides were 1.5:1 in 1999, they are 1.9:1 today.

This explains why the gun control industry is paint guns in society as a problem. If they noted that economics drove suicides rates higher, and that suicides were a mental health/economics issue, then their arguments would go away. Which is exactly why they don’t talk about these subjects.