From today's Shooting Wire (June 2, 2008).
Speaking of facts…Michael Bane's bopping the Sacramento Bee for a little media mis-speak regarding firearms, deaths, suicide and Japan.
Huh? OK, the Bee recently ran an editorial saying "30,000 Americans die every year from gun violence, a gun death toll greater than anywhere in Europe or Japan." Pardon the pun, but that's, well, dead wrong. As Michael points out, there were 33,093 suicides in Japan last year. That's larger than the gun death total in the United States (incidentally, the US number includes suicides, homicides and accidents). Since Japan's population is approximately half that of the United States, it would seem appropriate to quote Michael on this one "Plod on, oh Ignoramus Rex. Oblivion awaits."
Did anyone mention emotion usually trumps facts?