Gun Facts

by Frank Stoppa
fstoppa@bellsouth.net

I recently read a letter-to-the-editor in which the writer made the claims that the "state of Florida ranked #1 for murder suicide; that 95% of those deaths were from guns; that all too often women are the victims; and that a gun in the home makes the owner two and a half times more likely to be murdered and five times more likly to commit suicide."

Many liberals, and especially anti-gunners, find it easy to make false claims and throw out impressive numbers because they know that most readers will not take the time to check the facts. However, after a short trip on the internet I found the following facts taken from these sources:

• U.S. Dept of Justice
• The FBI Preliminary Crime Reports 2003
• National Safety Council
• American Association of Suicidology
• The Help Network
• The National Center for Injury Prevention
• The Cato Institute
• Prof. John R Lott's (University of Chicago Law School) published results of a crime study using the FBI data from 1977 to 1992 and from Florida State University Prof. Gary Kleck's studies and report.

As of 2000, Florida ranked #4 in population but ranked #21 in suicides. Since the right-to-carry law was enacted in Florida the following changes occured. The homicide rate dropped 36%, firearm homicides dropped 37%, and handgun homicides dropped 41%. In the ten states that adopted right-to-carry laws the results were:

• "no change in the suicide rate
• a 0.5% rise in accidental firearm deaths
• 5% decline in rapes
• 7% decline in aggravated assaults
• 8% decline in murder and
• 845 fewer multiple victim public shootings.."

"Approximatey 11% of gun owners and 13% of handgun owners have used their firearms for protection from criminals at the rate of about 760,000 times a year." "There are also two million defensive gun uses per year."

"After Washington DC enacted their hand gun ban their homicide rate rose 200% while the overall U.S. rate only rose 12%." "Of the 6.3 million violent crimes of rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault only 8% involved firearms."

"For decades the U.S. Dept of Justice's Crime Victimization Survey has shown that resistance with a gun is by far the safest course of action when one is confronted by a criminal. The probability of serious injury from a criminal confrontation is 2.5 times greater for women offering no resistance than resisting with a gun."

As for suicides, guns were used throughout the U.S. 57% of the times. The rate is highest in the western regions with the Mountain States highest. It is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S and is highest among the elderly over 65, and among the divorced, separated and widowed. For those between the ages of 15-24 it is the third highest cause of death.

Death from gun related accidents were well below almost all sport related accidental deaths and the top leading causes of unintentional deaths which were motor vehicle, poisoning, falls, suffocation, and fires, flames and smoke.

Being armed with the facts, and not relying on emotion and hype, is the only way to preserve your freedoms. Take the time to check out the information you read. The Bill of Rights and the Constitution are worth it. Learn or lose them.

Frank Stoppa
Jacksonville, Florida
Truck Driver
fstoppa@bellsouth.net

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Footnotes:

The information contained in this article is taken from the following sources:

http://www.cato.org/dailys/05-13-00.html
http://www.justfacts.com/gun_control.htm
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-lott080902.asp
http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/weapons.htm
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/guns.htm
http://www.helpnetwork.org/frames/resources_factsheets_suicide2.pd
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/suifacts.htm
http://211palmbeach.org/c_stats.shtml
http://www.nsc.org/library/rept2000.htm