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CDC: More Using Guns To Commit Suicide

DETROIT (WWJ) - New numbers have been released from the government on how many people are dying from handgun violence.

The good news is, fewer people in America's largest cities, including Detroit, are being murdered by guns.

The bad news: the rate of suicide by gun has increased in recent years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report on gun violence finds the overall gun-murder rate dropped by about 15 percent overall between 2006-2007 and 2009-2010 in most of the country's 50 largest cities. But the suicide-by-gun rate rose by about the same rate during the same time frame.

CDC officials say guns are the most common form of suicide in the U-S, and the increase in gun suicides is part of an overall upturn in suicide.

Hear are some resources if you or someone you know is in crisis:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(Free hot line operated 24 hours a day for those in suicidal crisis or emotional distress)
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Common Ground
Crisis Line: 800-231-1127
www.commongroundhelps.org

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
www.afsp.org

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