But no one forces the cancer patient to accept cancer treatment - it is always a choice. The same can be said for clinical depression - but for some reason in this case you sound as if you'd like to force the person to undergo treatment because you think you know what is in their best interest. I find that highly contentious.
the notion that most suicides are the result of rational decisionmaking and not illness is an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence.
FWIW, I am not making that specific claim. I'm just pointing out that there is another angle to consider, as far as whether or not the suicide issue should even be considered when talking gun-control.
I suspect cancer and depression share another important property: it's damn hard to treat if you don't diagnose it.
I have no data, but I would venture the guess that suicide is far more prevalent among those with undiagnosed depressions, than those with undiagnosed ones.
What I find interesting is that when suicide was illegal in the UK, the suicide rate was lower.
Should we make suicide illegal just to keep the rate down?
But if I'm worried that I might become suicidally depressed in the future, and I don't want to have ready access to a gun, I can choose not to buy one. I don't think it's the government's job to protect me from myself.
I don't care about the gun control debate; HN is a terrible venue for it. Some of my close friends are gun enthusiasts, others gun-control activists. I don't think any less of people who disagree with me about guns and think of it as one of the better examples of a "reasonable people can disagree" discussion (which, ironically, tend to be the worst kinds of discussions for HN).
I do care about misconceptions about suicidal depression, since depression is a serious risk for the community of people that use HN.
Some subset of suicides are "right to die" cases, but given the prevalence of clinical depression, the notion that most suicides are the result of rational decisionmaking and not illness is an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence.