Britain Needs Guns - America's Gun Deaths

America's Gun Deaths

The purpose of this section is to cover the argument that the USA has more than 30,000 gun deaths each year and that tight gun laws will help minimise these deaths.

I have taken my research from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a public health organisation that focuses national attention on preventing all types of death.

Firearms death figures are for 2008 (the most recent year available) during which there were just over 31,500 deaths by firearms.

SUICIDES

Suicides made up 18,220 (or 57 percent) of all gun deaths. These deaths are unavoidable since someone determined to kill themselves will always find a way even without guns.

After all, would these people still be alive had they thrown themselves from a tall building, jumped in front of a fast moving train or overdosed on painkillers ?

HOMICIDES

Homicide (or murder as it's commonly known) made up 12,179 (or 38 percent) of all gun deaths in 2008. Of those almost half (5,925) were black males, despite the fact that they only make up around 7 percent of the population.

Most of these killings are carried out using illegally held weapons, yet the only people that will ever be disarmed by gun laws are law-abiding people.

Banning guns will not prevent these murders since criminals can acquire guns with ease, as we have seen in our own country. Even if it were actually possible to stop criminals getting guns, these people would simply obtain other weapons and use those instead.

Gun control does not prevent murder, it never has and it never will. The proof of this lies in the fact that murder has always taken place, even before guns were invented.

ACCIDENTAL DEATHS

Accidental (or unintentional) deaths made up 592 (or just under 2 percent) of all gun deaths. Compare this with the 39,700 accidental deaths that occurred from motor vehicle accidents in the same year.

Of these 592 accidental gun deaths, just 110 were of children under 18.

5,594 children were killed by motor vehicle accidents, more than 34 times the number of kids killed in gun accidents.

We don't seek to ban motor vehicles to reduce these deaths. Instead we use education to minimise the risks from these items.

LEGAL INTERVENTION

Legal intervention (sometimes referred to as justifiable homicide) makes up 326 (or around 1 percent) of all gun deaths. This figure covers things such as armed police officers shooting criminals or armed citizens killing criminals in self-defence.

Would anybody really want to prevent the police and other people from protecting themselves ?

(Source - Center For Disease Control - 2008 Injury Mortality Reports)

(Source - US Department Of Justice - Bureau of Justice Statistics ) (PDF File)


Home Our Proposals View The Petitions My Personal Thoughts Gun Myths Page 1 Gun Myths Page 2 Guns And Tyranny America's Gun Deaths Multiple Victim Shootings Gun Control Quotes Pro Gun Websites Gun Control Videos Reports And Articles How You Can Help Contact Me	America's Gun Deaths The purpose of this section is to cover the argument that the USA has more than 30,000 gun deaths each year and that tight gun laws will help minimise these deaths. I have taken my research from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), a public health organisation that focuses national attention on preventing all types of death. Firearms death figures are for 2008 (the most recent year available) during which there were just over 31,500 deaths by firearms. SUICIDES Suicides made up 18,220 (or 57 percent) of all gun deaths. These deaths are unavoidable since someone determined to kill themselves will always find a way even without guns. After all, would these people still be alive had they thrown themselves from a tall building, jumped in front of a fast moving train or overdosed on painkillers ? HOMICIDES Homicide (or murder as it's commonly known) made up 12,179 (or 38 percent) of all gun deaths in 2008. Of those almost half (5,925) were black males, despite the fact that they only make up around 7 percent of the population. Most of these killings are carried out using illegally held weapons, yet the only people that will ever be disarmed by gun laws are law-abiding people. Banning guns will not prevent these murders since criminals can acquire guns with ease, as we have seen in our own country. Even if it were actually possible to stop criminals getting guns, these people would simply obtain other weapons and use those instead. Gun control does not prevent murder, it never has and it never will. The proof of this lies in the fact that murder has always taken place, even before guns were invented. ACCIDENTAL DEATHS Accidental (or unintentional) deaths made up 592 (or just under 2 percent) of all gun deaths. Compare this with the 39,700 accidental deaths that occurred from motor vehicle accidents in the same year. Of these 592 accidental gun deaths, just 110 were of children under 18. 5,594 children were killed by motor vehicle accidents, more than 34 times the number of kids killed in gun accidents. We don't seek to ban motor vehicles to reduce these deaths. Instead we use education to minimise the risks from these items. LEGAL INTERVENTION Legal intervention (sometimes referred to as justifiable homicide) makes up 326 (or around 1 percent) of all gun deaths. This figure covers things such as armed police officers shooting criminals or armed citizens killing criminals in self-defence. Would anybody really want to prevent the police and other people from protecting themselves ? (Source - Center For Disease Control - 2008 Injury Mortality Reports) (Source - US Department Of Justice - Bureau of Justice Statistics ) (PDF File)
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