I had made some comments in another thread below (re: banning baseball bats) and had used some over-generalized numbers. I decided to check those numbers and came to realize my numbers were wrong but over all, I believe my basic point holds true.
My point is simply this, those who seem to make banning firearms their life’s work do so reportedly under the premise that they are doing it for the “good of societyâ€. They claim they want to put an “end to needless deaths†and to “make our streets saferâ€. It is my contention that these people are either misinformed, misguided or out and out lying in order to protect some hidden agenda. I say this because the facts do not support their hysteria.
Here is a table listing the top 9 actual causes of death in the year 2000 (Source = the Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan 19, 2005, Vol .293, No.2, p. 298 http://www.csdp.org/research/1238.pdf )
Actual Cause - Number of deaths (%)
1. Tobacco - 435,000 (18.1)
2. Poor diet and physical inactivity - 400,000 (16.6)
3. Alcohol consumption - 85,000 (3.5)
4. Microbial agents - 75,000 (3.1)
5. Toxic agents - 55,000 (2.3)
6. Motor vehicle - 43,000 (1.8)
7. Firearms - 29,000 (1.2)
8. Sexual behavior - 20,000 (0.8)
9. Illicit drug use - 17,000 (0.7)[/list]
Total - 159 000 (48.2)
1. The percentages are for all deaths. 2. 16,653 deaths from alcohol-related vehicle crashes are included in both Alcohol consumption (#3) and Motor vehicle crashes below (#6).
If a person truly cares about “ending needless deaths†and wants to make that mission their priority in life, why would they focus on firearms after looking at this list?
According to this report, of the 29,000 deaths attributed to firearms, only 10,801 deaths were listed as “Assault (homicide) by discharge of firearmsâ€. 16,586 deaths were due to "intentional self-harm (suicide)". I feel it’s safe to assume that the over whelming majority of those suicides would have still been committed by some other means had a firearm not been accessible to that individual. 270 deaths are reported to have been caused by legal intervention. (BTW - These number can all be verified by doing a search of the CDC online database )
If we are talking about preventing needless deaths, then IMO, both suicides and legal interventions need to be removed from the total. That would leave 12,144 “needless†deaths including "Unintentional discharge of firearms" and "undetermined intent" deaths. 12,144 deaths, would not even place firearms on the top 10 list. Don't get me wrong, 12,144 does seem like a large number of people but in reality, by comparison it is a very low number. Especially when compared to…
Tobacco – Number 1 after all these years at 435,000 lives taken in 2000 alone. While the act of smoking has been banned from a number of public locations, I have yet to hear anybody suggest legislation banning the ownership of tobacco or that it should be made illegal to purchase (regardless of age)? Where is the outcry to ban Marlboro Reds or Camel No-filters because they are more deadly than Capri lights? Where are the bills purposing that tobacco purchases be limited to no more than one pack a day because after all, why does anybody need to buy a carton of cigarettes unless they are trying to kill themselves?
Alcohol – Number 3 with 85,000 deaths. Why aren’t liquor companies sued every time somebody dies in a DWI crash or when they die from liver disease? When used as directed, Alcohol impairs motor and brain function as well as kills brain cells. Why can you buy liquor without a background check to make sure you haven’t been convicted of a DWI? Why are you allowed to buy alcohol and then bring it home in your car when drinking and driving is illegal? How can we trust people to follow that law when we know there are thousands of people breaking that law everyday? Why do you not have to fill out and sign a form stating that you are not buying this alcohol for some other person?
16,586 people committed suicide in the year 2000. IMO, It is safe to say that not one of those deaths were “caused†by a firearm. The same cannot be said about Alcohol (or drugs)
If you combine the total deaths attributed to Tobacco and Alcohol you would arrive at a number of 520,000 deaths a year. Over 1/2 million people died in the year 2000 due to those two items products. That is almost 18 times the number of deaths attributed to firearms (including suicides by firearm and firearms deaths by lawful interventions)
What’s the difference? Well for one, there is no constitutional guarantee of your right to use or own either tobacco or Alcohol. Firearms are tools. Unlike firearms, Alcohol and Tobacco serve no beneficial purpose for society. They will never save your life. They will never help you put food on your table (unless you start selling them). When used as prescribed while following all safety warnings, they will still cause harm to your body and mind. They are not part of any organized sport or athletic competition. They serve no purpose other than to provide some enjoyment for some people under some situations.
Just to be clear, I am not in favor of banning any of the items mentioned above. I smoke, I drink and I own and shoot firearms. Prohibition and the “War on Drugs†are two perfect examples that prove how utterly useless banning something really is. In fact, it is counter-productive. My point is that these so-called “well-meaning†individuals are hypocrites for actively attacking one of our constitutional rights while ignoring much more deadly, non-protected products that have caused considerably more pain, suffering and death than any of my firearms every have or likely ever will.
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My point is simply this, those who seem to make banning firearms their life’s work do so reportedly under the premise that they are doing it for the “good of societyâ€. They claim they want to put an “end to needless deaths†and to “make our streets saferâ€. It is my contention that these people are either misinformed, misguided or out and out lying in order to protect some hidden agenda. I say this because the facts do not support their hysteria.
Here is a table listing the top 9 actual causes of death in the year 2000 (Source = the Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan 19, 2005, Vol .293, No.2, p. 298 http://www.csdp.org/research/1238.pdf )
Actual Cause - Number of deaths (%)
1. Tobacco - 435,000 (18.1)
2. Poor diet and physical inactivity - 400,000 (16.6)
3. Alcohol consumption - 85,000 (3.5)
4. Microbial agents - 75,000 (3.1)
5. Toxic agents - 55,000 (2.3)
6. Motor vehicle - 43,000 (1.8)
7. Firearms - 29,000 (1.2)
8. Sexual behavior - 20,000 (0.8)
9. Illicit drug use - 17,000 (0.7)[/list]
Total - 159 000 (48.2)
1. The percentages are for all deaths. 2. 16,653 deaths from alcohol-related vehicle crashes are included in both Alcohol consumption (#3) and Motor vehicle crashes below (#6).
If a person truly cares about “ending needless deaths†and wants to make that mission their priority in life, why would they focus on firearms after looking at this list?
According to this report, of the 29,000 deaths attributed to firearms, only 10,801 deaths were listed as “Assault (homicide) by discharge of firearmsâ€. 16,586 deaths were due to "intentional self-harm (suicide)". I feel it’s safe to assume that the over whelming majority of those suicides would have still been committed by some other means had a firearm not been accessible to that individual. 270 deaths are reported to have been caused by legal intervention. (BTW - These number can all be verified by doing a search of the CDC online database )
If we are talking about preventing needless deaths, then IMO, both suicides and legal interventions need to be removed from the total. That would leave 12,144 “needless†deaths including "Unintentional discharge of firearms" and "undetermined intent" deaths. 12,144 deaths, would not even place firearms on the top 10 list. Don't get me wrong, 12,144 does seem like a large number of people but in reality, by comparison it is a very low number. Especially when compared to…
Tobacco – Number 1 after all these years at 435,000 lives taken in 2000 alone. While the act of smoking has been banned from a number of public locations, I have yet to hear anybody suggest legislation banning the ownership of tobacco or that it should be made illegal to purchase (regardless of age)? Where is the outcry to ban Marlboro Reds or Camel No-filters because they are more deadly than Capri lights? Where are the bills purposing that tobacco purchases be limited to no more than one pack a day because after all, why does anybody need to buy a carton of cigarettes unless they are trying to kill themselves?
Alcohol – Number 3 with 85,000 deaths. Why aren’t liquor companies sued every time somebody dies in a DWI crash or when they die from liver disease? When used as directed, Alcohol impairs motor and brain function as well as kills brain cells. Why can you buy liquor without a background check to make sure you haven’t been convicted of a DWI? Why are you allowed to buy alcohol and then bring it home in your car when drinking and driving is illegal? How can we trust people to follow that law when we know there are thousands of people breaking that law everyday? Why do you not have to fill out and sign a form stating that you are not buying this alcohol for some other person?
16,586 people committed suicide in the year 2000. IMO, It is safe to say that not one of those deaths were “caused†by a firearm. The same cannot be said about Alcohol (or drugs)
If you combine the total deaths attributed to Tobacco and Alcohol you would arrive at a number of 520,000 deaths a year. Over 1/2 million people died in the year 2000 due to those two items products. That is almost 18 times the number of deaths attributed to firearms (including suicides by firearm and firearms deaths by lawful interventions)
What’s the difference? Well for one, there is no constitutional guarantee of your right to use or own either tobacco or Alcohol. Firearms are tools. Unlike firearms, Alcohol and Tobacco serve no beneficial purpose for society. They will never save your life. They will never help you put food on your table (unless you start selling them). When used as prescribed while following all safety warnings, they will still cause harm to your body and mind. They are not part of any organized sport or athletic competition. They serve no purpose other than to provide some enjoyment for some people under some situations.
Just to be clear, I am not in favor of banning any of the items mentioned above. I smoke, I drink and I own and shoot firearms. Prohibition and the “War on Drugs†are two perfect examples that prove how utterly useless banning something really is. In fact, it is counter-productive. My point is that these so-called “well-meaning†individuals are hypocrites for actively attacking one of our constitutional rights while ignoring much more deadly, non-protected products that have caused considerably more pain, suffering and death than any of my firearms every have or likely ever will.
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