<\/a>The sad details surrounding the suicide of Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich continue to emerge. But something is missing in the reporting: the gun behind the tragedy.<\/p>\n

Today, news reports revealed that Martha Fitz, an aide to former U.S. Senator John Danforth was on the phone with Schweich\u2019s wife when Schweich killed himself.<\/p>\n

According to the Kansas City Star:<\/p>\n

At 9:40 a.m., Kathy Schweich called Fitz. A few minutes into that conversation between the two women, Tom Schweich took the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe spoke solely about his outrage concerning the rumors that were being spread about his religion, and how he could respond to those rumors,\u201d Fitz wrote in a statement. \u201cI told him I thought it best to let others stand up for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that point, Fitz wrote, Schweich threatened to kill himself and handed the phone back to his wife.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeconds later I heard Kathy say, \u2018He shot himself!\u2019\u201d Fitz\u2019s statement says.<\/p>\n

Schweich\u2019s spouse called 9-1-1 on another phone. Fitz and Kathy Schweich remained on the phone together until paramedics arrived.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Horrifying. Emotionally devastating. Beyond comprehension, for his family and friends. Unimaginable, some would say.<\/p>\n

Or, maybe it’s not completely unimaginable. It\u2019s a terrible, shocking, sad story, to be sure. But there\u2019s something missing in the news reports. Nobody\u2019s talking about the gun.<\/p>\n

We may never understand why Schweich, who had recently announced his run for governor\u2014a big plan for the future\u2014became so desperate that he would take his own life.<\/p>\n

But we do know that he had a gun close at hand. So close that, when he threatened to kill himself, he had the means to do it.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know where he kept the gun. We don\u2019t know how long he had it. But we know that there was a gun in his house\u2014did his family even know about it? And when he became despondent\u2014it was all too convenient to just pick it up and pull the trigger.<\/p>\n

No waiting period. No time for further reflection and possible self-preservation.<\/p>\n

He may have had pre-existing mental-health issues. Maybe he had been depressed for a long time. I don\u2019t know, and I wouldn\u2019t hazard a guess. I\u2019m simply saying that, having a gun in the house enabled him to act impulsively.<\/p>\n

Did he keep a gun in the house for self-defense for himself and his family? After all, that\u2019s the conventional wisdom. I don\u2019t know why Schweich had a gun. But I do know that, like so many others, in the end, it didn\u2019t serve its intended purpose.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t used against an invading stranger. It didn\u2019t keep him safe. It didn\u2019t protect his family. In the end, it hurt so much more than it helped.<\/p>\n

Another gun death; another possibly preventable tragedy.<\/p>\n

But, in an America held hostage by the NRA and its Second Amendment propaganda, we don\u2019t want to talk about that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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