Over at The Trace, Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun agitprop “news” service, Christen McGinnes tells about her unsuccessful attempt to kill herself with a .357 revolver. As you’d expect, I Shot Myself in the Head and Survived is a harrowing tale. Like this:
So I decided that I really did want to die, and I put the gun underneath my chin and pulled the trigger again. This time there was a huge explosion. I heard my roommate scream, “What the hell was that?!” I didn’t know he was home. That’s what saved my life — he called 911.
I can only imagine what he saw because I blew my face off. I lost two thirds of my teeth, all of the right side of my face, a third of my tongue, and my right eye. I wasn’t in pain. I was just surprised. I had been waiting to see my life flash before my eyes, to see the white light, and none of it happened.
I heard sirens. I remember a man putting his hands on my shoulders and saying, “You’re going to be OK. I’ve got you.” And then I blacked out.
The Trace doesn’t add the usual anti-gun animus to Ms. McGinnes’ account — except to point out that “about 85 percent of people who attempt suicide with a gun will die.” Past history tells us that The Trace reckons that removing guns from the homes of potential suicides is a preventer if not the answer to suicide. Slippery slope and all that.
For about a year, any time I saw a gun in front of me, I felt compelled to pick it up and shoot myself. I am around guns because I have several friends who are ex-military and they own guns, and I also have a lot of friends who are pro-gun, so when I visit their houses, I know there are guns in the house. But that’s OK, I’m fine with that now. It’s not a risk factor for me anymore.
My dad asked the detective who worked on my case to have my gun destroyed so it would never hurt another person. I will never own another gun again.
The question here: what’s the point of this story for you? What’s your takeaway?