Armed and Safe

43 Times a Charm?

STATISTICS AND OTHER LIES 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, let's 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.