Reinforcing the notion is the Japanese experience. Although private firearm ownership is practically unknown, the country's current suicide rate is almost double that of Australia. The second important point is the link between suicide and the community's economic health. As Table 4 shows, a relationship between unemployment and suicide has been clear for some time. While the evidence is still inconclusive, the fact is the most disadvantaged section of the labour market in Australia, namely young people, also makes up a disproportionate percentage of suicide victims.
Suicide is a complex phenomenon for which there is no single answer.
Nevertheless, a number of points stand out. Confiscating hundreds of thousands of firearms has clearly failed to reverse the trend. At the same time, whether or not people have meaningful work seems to have a substantial bearing on the problem. Suicide surge in Japan. Japan's woes result in suicides.