CA_Libertarian
State Researcher
imported post
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I wanted to share some interesting statistics. These may come in handy the next time you're arguing with someone about guns being dangerous and needing to be heavily regulated.
All the information here is from the most recent report from the CDC NCHS (that's the Center for Disease Control - National Center for Health Statistics). The data is a selection of 113 causes of death in 2005, and is subdivided into age groups, which is handy for our purposes. (I left them in the order I found them, if anybody cares)
AGES 0-14 (Do it for the children!):
Malignant neoplasms (cancer - excludes benign and undertermined): 1,425 deaths
Influenza (yes, people die from the flu): 58 deaths
Motor vehicle accidents: 2,340 deaths
Accidental shootings: 75 deaths
Accidental drownings: 810 deaths
Homicide: 1,022 deaths
Total of 113 causes: 39,789 deaths
ALL AGES:
Malignant neoplasms (cancer - excludes benign and undertermined): 559,312 deaths
Influenza (yes, people die from the flu): 1,812 deaths
Motor vehicle accidents: 45,343 deaths
Accidental shootings: 789 deaths
Accidental drownings: 3,582 deaths
Homicide: 18,124 deaths
Total of 113 causes: 2,448,017 deaths
Now, before you get too eager to use this data, consider the following: how relative are the numbers?
For example, in order to compare the number of auto-related deaths to drowning deaths, we must consider how much exposure one gets to each hazard. Most of us probably spend considerably more time driving than we do in/on/near bodies of water (though I'm sure we'd all rather be fishing). I doubt these numbers are available, so we introduce a subjective element to the equation.
However, I still think these numbers can be powerful useful and persuasive.
For example, let's say someone argues that we need to focus on gun control to reduce the mortality rate of children. We could point out that under the laws we already have, there are only 75 children killed by accidental shooting each year. More laws and millions (or billions) of dollars might save 1 or 2 childrens' lives. However, if we were to, for example, reduce speed limits on all roads to 15 MPH, we would undoubtedly save thousands of childrens lives! (Try to keep a straight face when they express their unwillingness to drive 15 MPH on the freeway, and then scoff at the inhumanity of valuing their precious commute time above the life of the child in the next car.)
The point is, the world is a dangerous place. Guns made the list, but among 113 causes of death, guns account for 789 out of over 2 million. (That's 0.004% of all US deaths in 2005) In fact, of the 113 causes, accidental shootings only show higher mortality rates than 30 other causes. Among those 30, nearly all are medical issues that affect few people or are easily treated with modern medicine (e.g. measles, bronchitus). (The other two are undertermined shootings - which could be accidental or homicide - and 'legal intervention' - which includes any death caused by the government, such as capital punishment and officer involved shootings.)
So, perhaps we can use this information to persuade others. Maybe we can get them to focus their energy on saving children with cancer, or coming up with ways to make the roads safer. Maybe we can even suggest that less restriction on self defense might reduce the number of homicides, as parents would be better prepared to protect their children.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I wanted to share some interesting statistics. These may come in handy the next time you're arguing with someone about guns being dangerous and needing to be heavily regulated.
All the information here is from the most recent report from the CDC NCHS (that's the Center for Disease Control - National Center for Health Statistics). The data is a selection of 113 causes of death in 2005, and is subdivided into age groups, which is handy for our purposes. (I left them in the order I found them, if anybody cares)
AGES 0-14 (Do it for the children!):
Malignant neoplasms (cancer - excludes benign and undertermined): 1,425 deaths
Influenza (yes, people die from the flu): 58 deaths
Motor vehicle accidents: 2,340 deaths
Accidental shootings: 75 deaths
Accidental drownings: 810 deaths
Homicide: 1,022 deaths
Total of 113 causes: 39,789 deaths
ALL AGES:
Malignant neoplasms (cancer - excludes benign and undertermined): 559,312 deaths
Influenza (yes, people die from the flu): 1,812 deaths
Motor vehicle accidents: 45,343 deaths
Accidental shootings: 789 deaths
Accidental drownings: 3,582 deaths
Homicide: 18,124 deaths
Total of 113 causes: 2,448,017 deaths
Now, before you get too eager to use this data, consider the following: how relative are the numbers?
For example, in order to compare the number of auto-related deaths to drowning deaths, we must consider how much exposure one gets to each hazard. Most of us probably spend considerably more time driving than we do in/on/near bodies of water (though I'm sure we'd all rather be fishing). I doubt these numbers are available, so we introduce a subjective element to the equation.
However, I still think these numbers can be powerful useful and persuasive.
For example, let's say someone argues that we need to focus on gun control to reduce the mortality rate of children. We could point out that under the laws we already have, there are only 75 children killed by accidental shooting each year. More laws and millions (or billions) of dollars might save 1 or 2 childrens' lives. However, if we were to, for example, reduce speed limits on all roads to 15 MPH, we would undoubtedly save thousands of childrens lives! (Try to keep a straight face when they express their unwillingness to drive 15 MPH on the freeway, and then scoff at the inhumanity of valuing their precious commute time above the life of the child in the next car.)
The point is, the world is a dangerous place. Guns made the list, but among 113 causes of death, guns account for 789 out of over 2 million. (That's 0.004% of all US deaths in 2005) In fact, of the 113 causes, accidental shootings only show higher mortality rates than 30 other causes. Among those 30, nearly all are medical issues that affect few people or are easily treated with modern medicine (e.g. measles, bronchitus). (The other two are undertermined shootings - which could be accidental or homicide - and 'legal intervention' - which includes any death caused by the government, such as capital punishment and officer involved shootings.)
So, perhaps we can use this information to persuade others. Maybe we can get them to focus their energy on saving children with cancer, or coming up with ways to make the roads safer. Maybe we can even suggest that less restriction on self defense might reduce the number of homicides, as parents would be better prepared to protect their children.
