Anti-gun group says suicide is more prevalent in November

Anti-gun activists are launching a public awareness campaign today claiming this is one of Iowa’s peak months for gun suicides. Members of the group Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence say an average of 60 people kill themselves every November in Iowa. Group president John Johnson says posters and billboards are going up in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque and the Quad Cities.Johnson says suicide is the third leading cause of death for Iowans between the ages of 15 and 24. Each year, an average of 15 Iowa teens kill themselves with guns. Johnson says studies have found a gun bought for self-protection is 22 times more likely to be used to shoot a family member than an intruder.The billboards feature a picture of a handgun and read “These days it’s easier for a child to empty one of these than a bottle of aspirin.”