A Rising Tide of Suicides, and Access to Guns Re "All the Lonely People," by Ross Douthat (column, May 19): There is an eerie parallel between the rising number of suicides among men over 50 and the rising number of suicides among young veterans in their 20s and 30s. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day, on average. There is also a connection between suicide and unemployment, especially for men in their 50s, whose economic prospects take a dive. This is also true for the once immensely responsible young men in the military who now face employment they view as valueless among co-workers with little sense of team loyalty or understanding of the greater mission that propelled these veterans to volunteer for the military. These veterans were once part of a military that knew them intimately, with team members they could lean on and battlefield companions who would defend them with their lives. For many veterans, these elements have vanished in the civilian world, and the ensuing loneliness coupled with hopelessness at never finding them again is the motivation for ending it all. Judith Shulevitz reports in The New Republic that the number of lonely Americans will surely increase. So, too, will the number of veteran suicides, especially for reservists, unaccustomed to bearing the brunt of war, who return to shattered small self-owned businesses, and jobs that have disappeared. WESLEY PORIOTIS Founder, Veterans Across America New York, May 20, 2013 Ross Douthat mentions the role of guns in suicide. Suicides are nearly 62 percent of all gun deaths in the United States, and more than 50 percent of all suicides are committed with a gun. Suicide rates are nearly twice as high in parts of the country with weak gun laws and higher rates of gun ownership. Alaska, Wyoming and Montana have the highest gun suicide rates - 14 per 100,000 people - and New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest gun suicides, 2 per 100,000 people. The reason for this disparity is clear. Gun ownership is higher in states with weak gun laws. People who have more ready access to guns are more likely to kill themselves with guns than people who don't have such easy access. In fact, a gun in the home increases suicide risk by 17 times. And because guns are so lethal, 85 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal, whereas other means are much less so. If we care about reducing suicides in America, we need to address our gun problem. LEAH GUNN BARRETT Executive Director New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Brooklyn, May 20, 2013