Bearing Arms editor Bob Owens dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound

[endicom]

Washington Post
Kristine Phillips
May, 9, 2017



    Ringing steel at 200-300 yards was easy from a sitting position with the Daniel Defense DD5V1 and Nightforce Optics glass. Couldn't do as well at 400. I'm rusty.

    Posted by Bob Owens on Monday, January 9, 2017

Bob Owens, editor of the popular pro-gun blog BearingArms.com, died Monday in an apparent suicide, authorities say.

More... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/09/bearing-arms-editor-bob-owens-dead-from-apparent-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound/


Deja vu? Wasn't there a similar story a short time ago?

[Suppressed]

Congrats, Bob...your aim was true.  Godspeed.

[Sanguine]

Congrats, Bob...your aim was true.  Godspeed.

Congrats?

[endicom]

Congrats, Bob...your aim was true.  Godspeed.

His wife said, "You were never a coward, or selfish, just hurting." What caused that hurt is not explained.

[truth_seeker]

His wife said, "You were never a coward, or selfish, just hurting." What caused that hurt is not explained.

I was brought up that suicide was cowardly, and a sin.

[ABX]

His wife said, "You were never a coward, or selfish, just hurting." What caused that hurt is not explained.

You never know the demons or pain that are in someone's heart or mind. Many people mask depression, be it caused by something like PTSD or chemical/medical. Sometimes those who have the most suffering are the ones who seem to have it together the most. I always hate the discussion of 'a cowards way out', etc because we don't know their pain. Add to that the stigma and consequences for seeking mental help preclude many from getting the help they need.

[anubias]

You never know the demons or pain that are in someone's heart or mind. Many people mask depression, be it caused by something like PTSD or chemical/medical. Sometimes those who have the most suffering are the ones who seem to have it together the most. I always hate the discussion of 'a cowards way out', etc because we don't know their pain. Add to that the stigma and consequences for seeking mental help preclude many from getting the help they need.

Exactly.  I would not dare to condemn another for something I am not equipped to judge.  One can never know another's pain or how unbearable that pain is.

[Sanguine]

Exactly.  I would not dare to condemn another for something I am not equipped to judge.  One can never know another's pain or how unbearable that pain is.

Agreed.

But, to Truth_seeker's point, a general disapproval of suicide is probably a good thing and might help to turn people away from doing it.  Because by doing so they transfer their pain to the ones they leave behind, whether intentionally or not.

[endicom]

Sometimes those who have the most suffering are the ones who seem to have it together the most.

And that's baffling. Some guy who has more to live for than do most of us will suddenly off himself.

[ABX]

And that's baffling. Some guy who has more to live for than do most of us will suddenly off himself.

Let's say he has clinical, chemical depression or PTSD (I don't know, just in the example). If everything seems 'perfect' on the surface and he has this perfect life and family, he is less prone to get help and continue to build a facade everything is OK. He may put a lot of energy into that facade making the hidden pain and illness worse. It is like someone with a hurt leg constantly walking on it and not getting help, to try to give the appearance he is not hurt, when he actually continues to do more harm to it.

[Jazzhead]

Agreed.

But, to Truth_seeker's point, a general disapproval of suicide is probably a good thing and might help to turn people away from doing it.  Because by doing so they transfer their pain to the ones they leave behind, whether intentionally or not.

General disapproval?  Sure, but it might be more effective if the means for instant death weren't in the households of millions of Americans.   

I am not arguing against the Second Amendment, this is not something where the laws need to change.   But let's face reality - people who want to off themselves most frequently use a gun to do it.   It's just so quick and convenient, and once the trigger is pulled there's no going back.   

There are many who've rationally decided not to have a gun in the house for exactly this reason.   

[ABX]

General disapproval?  Sure, but it might be more effective if the means for instant death weren't in the households of millions of Americans.   

I am not arguing against the Second Amendment, this is not something where the laws need to change.   But let's face reality - people who want to off themselves most frequently use a gun to do it.   It's just so quick and convenient, and once the trigger is pulled there's no going back.   

There are many who've rationally decided not to have a gun in the house for exactly this reason.   

People taking personal responsibility on this issue (like so many others) would take the ammunition away from the left to remove the rights from everyone. Like those who purposefully eat very bad because they are told they should eat well as a way to rebel against experts and authority.

[Meldrew]

But let's face reality - people who want to off themselves most frequently use a gun to do it.   

A little suprisingly, only about half use guns. But yes, guns are the most used method.

RIP Bob.

[driftdiver]

General disapproval?  Sure, but it might be more effective if the means for instant death weren't in the households of millions of Americans.   

I am not arguing against the Second Amendment, this is not something where the laws need to change.   But let's face reality - people who want to off themselves most frequently use a gun to do it.   It's just so quick and convenient, and once the trigger is pulled there's no going back.   

There are many who've rationally decided not to have a gun in the house for exactly this reason.   

@Jazzhead
Means for instant death eh.  You mean electricity?  A knife?  pillows?  household cleaning chemicals?  Tylenol?  Heck water will kill ya?   Baseball bats?  Cars?

Your anti-gun argument is pathetic. 

[driftdiver]

A little suprisingly, only about half use guns. But yes, guns are the most used method.

RIP Bob.

About half of those who are successful use firearms.   About 25% choose Suffocation and about 13% choose poison.   If they had stats on methods used in attempts it would be different. 

Looking at the method of suicide as a way to stop suicides is not going to change the picture.   Addressing mental health is far more important.

[Frank Cannon]

Oddly enough, Bob was writing a gun safety article right before this.

BTW, I am friends with an ER nurse and she will tell anybody that the most ineffective way to check yourself out is with a gun. A high percentage of people deform and cripple themselves instead of actually killing themselves.

[thackney]

General disapproval?  Sure, but it might be more effective if the means for instant death weren't in the households of millions of Americans.   

I am not arguing against the Second Amendment, this is not something where the laws need to change.   But let's face reality - people who want to off themselves most frequently use a gun to do it.   It's just so quick and convenient, and once the trigger is pulled there's no going back.   

There are many who've rationally decided not to have a gun in the house for exactly this reason.   

If only we had strict gun control laws that greatly limit ownership like South Korea, Japan, Belgium, Findland, Sweden and the like:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

[Suppressed]

BTW, I am friends with an ER nurse and she will tell anybody that the most ineffective way to check yourself out is with a gun. A high percentage of people deform and cripple themselves instead of actually killing themselves.

Exactly.

When someone succeeds at something he's attempting, we congratulate them.  He successfully did something that's not easy.  I'm glad for him that he got what he wanted, not leaving himself in bad condition.

@Sanguine @Frank Cannon

[Suppressed]

And that's baffling. Some guy who has more to live for than do most of us will suddenly off himself.

@endicom you give a very thoughtful response, simply because you admit it's baffling to you.  Many people have the tendency to assume they understand.

[Sanguine]

Exactly.

When someone succeeds at something he's attempting, we congratulate them.  He successfully did something that's not easy.  I'm glad for him that he got what he wanted, not leaving himself in bad condition.

@Sanguine @Frank Cannon

No, but he left his wife and two young daughters in a very bad condition. 

[Suppressed]

I think you'll find, @Jazzhead, that many here believe a person has the right to decide when to take another's life, but not his own.

[Suppressed]

No, but he left his wife and two young daughters in a very bad condition.

And I see that his wife is not condemning him.

[Wingnut]

At least he had the decency to do it outside of the house so as to not inconvenience his wife and children with the messy clean-up job and the memory of seeing his brains splattered across the Martha Stewart linins on their kingsize bed and freshly painted mustard colored bedroom walls with blood soaking into the newly installed  plush Karastan frieze carpeting.

[mirraflake]

I was brought up that suicide was cowardly, and a sin.

Same here and as a raised Catholic was told people who suicide were on a rail straight to hell. But what about the people who were so out of their mind theydid not know what they were doing. ..do they go to hell also?

@truth_seeker

[Sanguine]

And I see that his wife is not condemning him.

Good for her, that in her current state of shock and grief (presumably) that she is not saying anything negative.  However, that doesn't change what I said one tiny bit.