You might have seen recently the figures released by the gun-grabbers that
you are 43 times more likely to be killed by your own gun than to defend
yourself with it. This and the other numbers in the "study" are based on
a people living in high-risk situations. The study ignores the differences
between suicide, homicide and self-defense, as well as the fact the 75% of
the murders in the United States are of drug dealers or drug customers. The
author admits to being strongly anti-gun. Interestingly enough, the study
shows that alcohol, living alone, family violence, and renting their home
held more risk to the participants' health than owning a gun. Owning a gun
was next to last on the list of risk factors listed in the study. (Since
renting is more apt to get you killed than owning a gun, perhaps we should
demand that the government ban all rental housing? ecr)
While we're at it, lets take a look at the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
statement that guns owned by women were 70 times more likely to be used against
them than to kill an attacker. The correct statistic is that 73 times as
many women were killed with guns than kill their attackers with guns. This
also doesn't take into account the number of women in the study who deterred
an attack without killing. The study from which this fact was lifted also
showed that, while women were 73 times more likely to be killed with a handgun
than to kill in self-defense with a handgun, women were 163 times more likely
to be killed than to kill in self defense, if no handhand gun was present.
More interesting statistics are found in the six-year study conducted by
John Hopkins Injury Prevention Center on the typical causes of death in children
ages 0 to 14
Vehicle occupant
16.4%
Drowning
14.3%
Pedestrian traffic
12.5%
Fire
11.8%
Suffocation & aspiration 7.6%
Bicycle
3.7%
Firearms accidents
3.2%
Other causes combined 30.5%
The National Safety Council tracked fatal accidents in children ages 0 to
14 during 1975 to 1990. Firearms accidents decreased during the period by
55%. Drowning decreased by 42% and motor vehicle deaths decreased by 37%.
During that time, no Federal or State laws were enacted requiring that firearms
be furnished with seat belts, child-safety seats, fences or helmets.
