Guns Really Do Kill People

More die from gun violence than auto accidents

Current statistics from thirteen states show a disturbing trend.  More people in these states have been killed by guns than by cars.  The proof is right in front of us.  We drive hundreds of hours a year and we fondle our guns much less and kill more with them.  Perhaps because we build our cars for safety, realizing that they are inherently dangerous, we are able to reduce the numbers of fatalities.  The silly idea that guns, which are designed for killing, might be less dangerous, is just plain preposterous.

“The contrast to our nation's shameful response to the public health crisis of gun violence could not be more stark. We've done virtually nothing to address the issue nationally, even as the death toll continues to mount. Here are the 13 jurisdictions where gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 2010 (data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control):

Alaska: 144 gun deaths, 71 motor vehicle deaths
Arizona: 931 gun deaths, 795 motor vehicle deaths
Colorado: 555 gun deaths, 487 motor vehicle deaths
District of Columbia: 99 gun deaths, 38 motor vehicle deaths
Illinois: 1,064 gun deaths, 1,042 motor vehicle deaths
Louisiana: 864 gun deaths, 722 motor vehicle deaths
Maryland: 538 gun deaths, 514 motor vehicle deaths
Michigan: 1,076 gun deaths, 1,063 motor vehicle deaths
Nevada: 395 gun deaths, 289 motor vehicle deaths
Oregon: 458 gun deaths, 324 motor vehicle deaths
Utah: 314 gun deaths, 274 motor vehicle deaths
Virginia: 875 gun deaths, 728 motor vehicle deaths
Washington: 609 gun deaths, 554 motor vehicle deaths”
(The above is quoted from Huffington Post - Josh Sugarmann: Guns Kill More People Than Motor Vehicles in 12 States & DC, check it out.)

The same study shows continual declines in motor vehicle deaths and an opposite trend for gun deaths for the same periods.  Don’t know about you, but I think that it’s past time for us to decide whether the current individualistic interpretation of The Constitution’s First Amendment is one we can all live with.  There are so many things we could do that would reduce gun deaths without impacting peoples right (if there is such) to own guns.  We could, for example, mandate proper locks and storage as part of the purchase price of guns.  As most agree, we could require real background checks and develop ways to remove guns from the hands of those who later lose their right to own guns through conviction of crime or mental illness.  It is even possible that an educated electorate might decide that hand guns are like teen drinking and driving and are just too dangerous to allow.

If nothing else we might decide to make the debate about safety.  It is not germane to make comments about “only criminals having guns”.  We all know that criminals are by definition not out to improve the general welfare.  Nor should our main emphasis be punishment.  We are after all trying for safety and how many gun owners would we need to jail to guarantee safety?  One thing we should do immediately is to repeal the law that keeps us from studying guns and violence.  Thanks to The National Rifle Association (NRA) there are almost no current studies of the hows and whys of gun violence.  What I am sure of is that there are a multitude of people who have thought about the problem and that there are multiple ways to make us all safer.