[jsalcedo]

I just received this months discover magazine.

There was an article about longevity and an accompanying chart on leading causes of death in the US by age group.

I was dismayed to see they list homicide as the 4th leading cause of death for ages 1 to 14 and the 3rd leading cause from 15 to 24.

The chart shows a picture of a beretta next to each homicide statistic which I think is totally ridiculous and ill informed.

Next is suicide which shows as the 5th leading cause of death from ages 5 to 14 and 4th leading from ages 15 to 24

The chart picture for this one is a stick figure holding a red pistol to its head.

Am I being hyper-sensitive about this or are handguns the leading suicide and homicide weapon choices.

They got their information from the National vital statistics report.

[Mark Tyson]

The problem is that guns are being used as symbols of crime, when in fact they are only means to an end. Our enemies are succeeding in turning guns into icons of death, which is why I am pessemistic in the long term for our cause.

[JDSlack]

On the news down here whenever they do something about any criminal act, they flash a picture of a handgun on the screen behind the talking head. Even if the crime was a stabbing!

[gun-fucious]

i wonder what happens to the numbers when you eliminate felons killed by guns from the statistics?

[lee n. field]

I was dismayed to see they list homicide as the 4th leading cause of death for ages 1 to 14 and the 3rd leading cause from 15 to 24.

That's _good_.

When you're down to violence (accident, murder and suicide) as the leading cause of death for a particular age group, that means that things like disease and starvation have been reduced to the point of being solved.

And yes, you're right to be over-sensitive about the use of a handgun as a symbol.

[LightPlanePilot]

however what would the statistics be if you eliminated drug related deaths (ie died while using a gun to buy, sell or whjatever drugs).

I'm willing to bet the stats would be much lower.

Also I'm willing to bet that those stats also include gang related deaths whose primary weapon of killing is a gun.

Remove those two factors and I think jay-walking would be a higher percentage killer.

[RobW]

What about showing a nice GM, Ford, Jaguar, Porsche etc. etc. in the background for every death on the streets, highways and interstates?

More than 40,000 a year? Priceless!

Guns are made to kill, cars are made to ... what??? :barf:

Protect our criminals, ban guns!