Ban Bridges, Not Guns

James Taranto in Best of the Web Today comments on the handgun ban legislation being proposed for the city of San Francisco:

"San Francisco supervisors want voters to approve a sweeping handgun ban that would prohibit almost everyone except law enforcement officers, security guards and military members from possessing firearms in the city," the Associated Press reports.

Advocates of the ban present it as a suicide-prevention measure. Says Bill Barnes, an aide to Supervisor Chris Daly: "We know that for even law-abiding folks who own guns, the rates of suicide and mortality are substantially higher. So while just perceived to be a crime thing, we think there is a wide benefit to limiting the number of guns in the city."

We think he's wrong about mortality rates, which as far as we know are 100% for gun owners and gun shunners alike. But he may be right that gun owners are at risk of suicide. Good thing San Francisco doesn't have any bridges.