Hmm , well , do the lines need to not cross each other ? If not , then you can split the points into buckets like bucket 1 is distances from 0 to 2 , bucket 2 is distances from 2 to 4 , etc . Then sort according to angle inside each bucket . <| sep |> What are you talking about ? Of course it ' s correlation . I ' m not saying owning a gun causes suicide and homicide . But there is a strong correlation between unprotected sex and STIs . Does sex cause STIs ? No . Does crap sex Ed cause teen pregnancy ? No . But most people can accept the correlation between these things . You can talk about all the underlining factors that go into suicide , accidents and crime . None of that changes the fact that almost all studies into this show a strong correlation between owning a gun and increased risk of death for people in the home . Science doesn ' t need to prove causation . I . e owning a gun causes suicide . but we can still use it ' s results to make guided decisions . I . e I know buying a gun won ' t kill my family but I know that owning a gun correlates with an increased risk of violent death for them . Group A is people with guns in their home . Group B , C and D are different variables we aren ' t checking . Studies show group A has an increased risk of death . Science doesn ' t answer why things are this way , it just points them out .