the way I see it, gun death deniers are flying in the same hot air balloon along with evolution deniers, climate change deniers, tobacco-induced cancer deniers, &C and so forthe....you know, all the *fudge*ers who insist that their intuitive grasp of an issue is the correct version, despite
a *goshdarn* mountain of evidence to the contrary.
Could we get a summary?
I can't think of a reason why I'd want to join Medscape.com.
Are there statistics in there that show gun deaths go up in areas with extremely lax concealed carry laws? Do those deaths go up more or less than in areas with extremely tight restrictions?
FWIW, I have a permit, but I rarely carry anymore.
oops, my bad
here is the meat and potatoes of the article, which is itself a brief summary.
BTW, without looking it up, my sense is all of the hullabaloo lately about loosening concealed-carry restrictions reflects a centrally orchestrated drama...I'm guessing the NRA could be found riding herd somewhere in the cattle drive.
Americans own approximately 200 million guns.[3] Over one-third of US households have one or more firearms, and 32% of families with children have handguns at home.[3] Among gun owners with children in the home, 30% reported that they sometimes or always maintain a loaded gun.[4] More than half of all gun owners do not lock up their firearms. Handguns, which constitute about one-third of all firearms in the US, have been linked to 70%-90% of fatal firearm injuries.[5] One reason may be that handguns are about five times more likely to be kept loaded compared to other firearms.[3] Having a loaded gun, an unlocked gun, or multiple guns in the home significantly increases the risk of death from firearms among people living in the household.[6-9]
The Hazards of Owning a Gun
A common reason for gun ownership is personal and family protection. However, firearms are rarely used for this purpose.[10] A five-year study from the National Crime Victimization Survey found that people used guns in self-defense in fewer than 1% of all violent crimes.[11] Guns kept in the home for protection are much more likely to result in the death of a friend, family member, or neighbor. Only 15% of homicides occur during felonies such as robbery, burglary, or drug-trafficking, whereas more than half are the result of an argument between two people who know each other.[12] In addition, having a gun in the home increases the risk of homicide three fold and suicide five fold.[6-8, 13-15] Handguns specifically pose a higher risk of suicide and homicide than long guns.[6,7,9]
