So which culture do these people fall under? As Military Suicides Rise, Focus Is on Private Weapons By JAMES DAO Published: October 7, 2012 With nearly half of all suicides in the military having been committed with privately owned firearms, the Pentagon and Congress are moving to establish policies intended to separate at-risk service members from their personal weapons. The issue is a thorny one for the Pentagon. Gun rights advocates and many service members fiercely oppose any policies that could be construed as limiting the private ownership of firearms.