
Gun and Knife Show Information Virtual Gun Show DACA's Mission Statement Club Officers Club Newsletter Upcoming Events Useful Links DACA's Book Store Club Resources Home	Rod gives his perspective about gun death article As I was reviewing the resources that came with my new computer, I came across a chart by the National Safety Council entitled Death Involving Firearms by Age 1993. This chart shows that in 1993 the total firearm deaths in the country was 39,277. Of these, 1,521 were accidents, 18,940 were suicides, homicides numbered 18,253, and undetermined were 563. The number of children age 0 to14 years who died by wounds inflicted with a firearm was 957. A question came to my mind. "If the antigun people had their way and there were no guns how many lives would be saved?" I can say with 100% certainty it would not be 39,277. Here's how I would do the math. If there were no guns no one would have accidents with them. So we would have to count the 1,521 accident victims. (This is assuming that none of them would fall victim to another type of accident.) People who are sick enough to kill themselves will find a way. Firearms don't have to be available. An example is Japan where firearms are tightly controlled, yet they have one of the high-est suicide rates in the world. So for the purpose of this discussion I will say that zero lives would be saved. People have been murdering people since long before firearms were invented. So I think it is reasonable to assume that a significant number of persons who were murdered with firearms would have fallen victim by another means. It is estimated that 60% of murder victims are shot. So I think we can assume that 40% of those shot would have been killed by other means. So without guns, 7,120 would still have been murdered by other means. For this exercise the 563 undetermined deaths will not be counted because if they were determined, they would fall in one of the above categories. So, subtracting 563 undetermined deaths we have a total of 38,714. Therefore, the total number of lives that could possibly be saved would be 8,641. That would net a 22% saving of lives or 78% of those who died would have died anyway. These figures do not take into account the lives saved when someone stops criminal attack with a firearm. Nor does it show what a small percentage of the U.S. population is put at risk. I also might note that of these figures 957 were children under 14. While even one child is irreplaceable, this data shows, considering the number of children in this country, that firearms are not a significant threat to our children and grandchildren. I believe what we are doing now, for example prommoting gun safety programs such as Hunter Safety and Eddy Eagle, will continue to decrease firearm deaths. Youth shooting programs teach safety and responsibility which can carry over into other life activities. America is on the right track by locking up violent criminals. Now, they get extra time tacked on if they use a firearm in the commission of a crime. I think this should be extended to the use of any lethal weapon such as a knife or club. It is my opinion that many suicide victims could be saved if more attention was applied to public and private programs. If we are to see a significant decrease in suicides and crime, our country is going to have to do much more to prevent the misuse of drugs and alcohol. We must change attitudes The public's weak attitude toward violent behavior should be changed. A good start would be for the entertainment industry to cut back on the graphic violence portrayed in books, movies and video games. The entertainment industry says it doesn't affect people's behavior. This is nonsense. It has always been thought that everyone, especially young persons, are positively affected by reading religious and other great works of literature. It is foolish to assume that exposure to negative material doesn't have a negative effect on them, as well. The members of the DACA should be proud of their efforts in reducing gun deaths by supporting the Boy Scouts, Olympic Shooters, the police and by being politically active. Let's not let the antigunners discourage us. Keep the good work!

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Rod gives his perspective about gun death article

As I was reviewing the resources that came with my new computer, I came across a chart by the National Safety Council entitled Death Involving Firearms by Age 1993. This chart shows that in 1993 the total firearm deaths in the country was 39,277. Of these, 1,521 were accidents, 18,940 were suicides, homicides numbered 18,253, and undetermined were 563. The number of children age 0 to14 years who died by wounds inflicted with a firearm was 957.

A question came to my mind. "If the antigun people had their way and there were no guns how many lives would be saved?" I can say with 100% certainty it would not be 39,277.

Here's how I would do the math. If there were no guns no one would have accidents with them. So we would have to count the 1,521 accident victims. (This is assuming that none of them would fall victim to another type of accident.)

People who are sick enough to kill themselves will find a way. Firearms don't have to be available. An example is Japan where firearms are tightly controlled, yet they have one of the high-est suicide rates in the world. So for the purpose of this discussion I will say that zero lives would be saved.

People have been murdering people since long before firearms were invented. So I think it is reasonable to assume that a significant number of persons who were murdered with firearms would have fallen victim by another means. It is estimated that 60% of murder victims are shot. So I think we can assume that 40% of those shot would have been killed by other means. So without guns, 7,120 would still have been murdered by other means.

For this exercise the 563 undetermined deaths will not be counted because if they were determined, they would fall in one of the above categories.

So, subtracting 563 undetermined deaths we have a total of 38,714. Therefore, the total number of lives that could possibly be saved would be 8,641. That would net a 22% saving of lives or 78% of those who died would have died anyway.

These figures do not take into account the lives saved when someone stops criminal attack with a firearm. Nor does it show what a small percentage of the U.S. population is put at risk.

I also might note that of these figures 957 were children under 14. While even one child is irreplaceable, this data shows, considering the number of children in this country, that firearms are not a significant threat to our children and grandchildren.

I believe what we are doing now, for example prommoting gun safety programs such as Hunter Safety and Eddy Eagle, will continue to decrease firearm deaths. Youth shooting programs teach safety and responsibility which can carry over into other life activities.

America is on the right track by locking up violent criminals. Now, they get extra time tacked on if they use a firearm in the commission of a crime. I think this should be extended to the use of any lethal weapon such as a knife or club.

It is my opinion that many suicide victims could be saved if more attention was applied to public and private programs. If we are to see a significant decrease in suicides and crime, our country is going to have to do much more to prevent the misuse of drugs and alcohol.

We must change attitudes

The public's weak attitude toward violent behavior should be changed. A good start would be for the entertainment industry to cut back on the graphic violence portrayed in books, movies and video games. The entertainment industry says it doesn't affect people's behavior. This is nonsense. It has always been thought that everyone, especially young persons, are positively affected by reading religious and other great works of literature. It is foolish to assume that exposure to negative material doesn't have a negative effect on them, as well.

The members of the DACA should be proud of their efforts in reducing gun deaths by supporting the Boy Scouts, Olympic Shooters, the police and by being politically active. Let's not let the antigunners discourage us.

Keep the good work!

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