Fun with Firearms: Two Stats to Watch in DC

As the District of Columbia starts registering handguns in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling against the city's outright ban, there are two numbers that could very revealing:

1. How many D.C. residents step forward during the 180-day amnesty period to register handguns they already owned. In other words, just how handgun-free were "law-abiding" residents during the ban?
2. How high will the District's suicide rate spike over the next couple years?

On the latter question... I've always had a quasi-libertarian aversion to outright bans on gun ownership, simply on the grounds of property rights. Registration, background checks and even steep licensing fees are cool by me, but responsible adults should be able to own what they want.

The recent NYT Magazine article on suicide and impulse, however, has me re-thinking that view. At the very least, it reinforces the long-held position that there's no place for guns in *our* house. (And we live in Virginia, where I could buy one a month!)

As for my neighbors across the river -- I hope the District proves to be an exception to the suicide/gun-ownership connection, but I'm not holding my breath.