Thomas Reisch, a psychiatrist and researcher in Switzerland, was reviewing the rates of suicide in his country when he noticed something unusual. Right around 2004, the number of gun suicides substantially declined. Reisch, who serves as the medical director of a psychiatric hospital just outside of Bern, wondered why.
Switzerland, a peaceful country of about eight million people, is typically regarded for its pristine ski resorts, economic prosperity, and extraordinarily high life expectancy rates—second only in the world to Japan. The country also has a well-established gun culture. It boasts the fourth-highest rate of firearm ownership in the world—roughly 30 percent of all Swiss households contain a gun—trailing only the United States, Serbia, and Yemen.
Read Full Article »