My son killed himself with one of our guns when he was 18 so I feel qualified to respond to you. We were/are responsible gun owners. Both our children attended hunter safety courses, spent time at the range and were taught all the rules and respect for firearms. Our son participated with the Border Patrol Explorers in several contest areas involving firearms. Our daughter was a NG MP. You can do “all the right things” and still have a young person make a forever decision for a temporary problem. People ask us all the time how we can still have firearms in our home after what our son did. I tell them that guns are a tool like a knife or a hammer. A person intent on committing suicide will use another tool if a gun isn’t available. I realize you and your daughter are in turmoil right now, but without knowing what has gone on in that home you have no right to point the finger at “irresponsible gun owners”. And if they were irresponsible, they have already paid a terrible price by losing their child. People commit suicide using cars, knives, pills, rope, bridges, buildings, and any number of other things that are more accessible than guns. What do you suggest we “wake up” and do about them?
My condolences. I would think of suicide often as a teen, and then as a young father. I guess reason would creep back in. Thank God. Even though my family kept the guns in the open rack in my downstairs bedroom, I never contemplated using one of them.
I can’t imagine the harm I would have done to my parents or my family. But there were times (at least for me) where suicide seemed like the easiest option. And of course as a teen, it would be over stupid stuff.
Heck - looking back to me being a young dad - it was STILL stupid stuff. (Well, at least not worth killing myself over).