Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Originally posted by: Taggart
I remember seeing some self-defense/home defense expert (something like that) discourage owning a firearm. He claimed it was more dangerous to family members because of the threat of accidents.
He claimed that most gun owners will hesitate before shooting an intruder, so the gun is useless. Are you willing and able to pull the trigger when the time comes?
Most people who talk about the 'more dangerous to family' thing are reciting from a debunked study.
There is NO factual statistic to establish such a thing.
Before you talk out of your behind, why don't you do a little bit of research. Its prety simple: No gun in the home=no dead children.
Gun Injury and Death: United States Data
In 2000 a total of 28,663 people died from firearm injuries.
National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Report, Volume 50. No. 15, September 16, 2002.
A gun kept in the home is 4 times more likely to be involved in an unintentional shooting, 7 times more likely to be used in a criminal assault or homicide, and 11 times more likely to be used to commit or attempt a suicide than to be used in self defense.
Kellerman, et al. Injuries and deaths due to firearms in the home. The Journal of Trauma; Injury, Infection and Critical Care. Vol. 45, no. 2
The firearms industry is virtually the only manufacturer of a consumer product not required to meet basic product safety standards ? in fact, toy guns are more regulated for safety than are real guns.
Consumer Federation of America Foundation. ?Which One is More Regulated?? Brochure printed 2000.
Over 57% of all suicides are committed with a firearm.
National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Report, Volume 50. No. 15, September 16, 2002.
Cut/stab wounds killed 1,743 Americans in 2000; gunshots killed 28,663 the same year.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Justice. ?Crime in the United States 2000.? Uniform Crime Reports. October 2001.
In 1999, for homicides in which the weapon could be identified, 53% of female victims were shot and killed with guns ? more than 63% were shot by male intimates. The number of females shot and killed by their intimate acquaintance was more than 4 times higher than the total number murdered by male strangers using all weapons combined. When Men Murder Women, October 2001. Analysis of 1999 Federal Bureau of Investigation Supplementary Homicide Report data. Analysis conducted by Violence Policy Center.
A child or a teenager commits 55% of all unintentional shootings.
Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. Parents, Kids, & Guns: A Nationwide Survey. 1998. Data collected by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. .Survey conducted from October 31 to November 4, 1998.
One out of three handguns is kept loaded and unlocked in the home.
Cook, Philip J. and Jens Ludwig. Guns in America: Results of a comprehensive national survey on firearms ownership and use. Police Foundation, 1996
Only 30% of parents ask the parents of their children?s friends if they keep a gun in the home.
Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. Parents, Kids, & Guns: A Nationwide Survey. 1998. Data collected by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. Survey conducted from October 31 to November 4, 1998.
In a 1998 study, 80% of clinicians stated that they should counsel on firearm safety, but only 30% do so. Of those clinicians who currently counsel, only 20% counsel more than 10% of their patient families.
Barkin, et al. The smoking gun: Do clinicians follow guidelines on firearm safety counseling? Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 1998;152:749-756
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)
Violence Prevention Program
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1012, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 667-4260
www.psr.org
Updated 10/02
Or how about this:
Text
Firearm Facts
In 1997, 32,436 Americans were killed with firearms-in homicides, suicides and accidents. In comparison, 33,651 Americans were killed in the Korean War and 58,148 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War. National Center for Health Statistics, 1997
Currently, an estimated 39% of households have a gun, while 24% have a handgun. The University of Chicago, 1998
There are approximately 192 million privately owned firearms in the U.S. --65 million of which are handguns. Police Foundations, 1996
Approximately 29% of adults personally own a firearm, and 18% personally own a handgun. The University of Chicago, 1998
1997, 32,436 people in the United States died from firearm-related deaths - 12,942 (40%) of those were murdered; 17,566 (54%) were suicides; 981 (3%) were accidents; and in 367 (1%) the intent was unknown. National Center for Health Statistics, 1997
In 1998, 8 out of 10 of those murdered with firearms were murdered with handguns. FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1998
In 1997, gunshot wounds were the second leading cause of injury death for men and women 10-24 years of age - second only to motor vehicle crashes. National Center for Health Statistics, 1999
In 1997, the firearm injury death rate among males 15-24 years of age was 42% higher than the motor vehicle traffic injury death rate. National Center for Health Statistics, 1999
In 1997, more than 11 children and teenagers, ages 19 and under, were killed with guns everyday. National Vital Statistics, 1998
In 1998, 77% of murdered juveniles age 13-19 were killed with a firearm. Department of Justice, 1999
From 1993 through 1997, an average of 1,409 children and teenagers took their own lives with guns each year. National Center for Health Statistics
Each year during 1993 through 1997, an average of 1,621 murderers who had not reached their 18th birthdays took someone's life with a gun. Federal Bureau of Investigations
In 1996, handguns were used to murder 2 people in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 30 in Great Britain, 106 in Canada, 213 in Germany and 9,390 in the United States. FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1996
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