As an Australian the following graphic is horrifying and almost beyond comprehension.
In 2004 (the last complete year statistics are currently available) an average of 81 people died every day in the USA from gunfire.
In 2004 a total of 29,569 Americans died in the USA from gunfire.
Is this country nuts or what?????
Cheers,
Dean
Just last night I was explaining to American colleagues how the American gun debate and mindset when it comes to weapons is incomprehensible to most Australians.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fitting example.
I am doing a term paper on Right to bear arms in US. came across your blog entry. i was wondering if there are any statistics or articles or books in the USA about that?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are but I dont have access or personal knowledge of any.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Dean
How Does this compare to the number of abortions done in this country every day. I think we have bigger things to worry about than hand guns!
ReplyDeleteI guess Mr/S Anonymous that depends on your view of abortions.
ReplyDeleteBeing pro-choice myself I think guns are a big enough issue particularly when any crank nutcase can qualify for a license and shoot people upholding the law as it stands today just because they disagree with pro-choice.
Thanks for dropping by though.
Cheers,
Dean
I find the quoting of statistics as support for gun bans a bit strange myself. In 2004 29,569 Americans died from handgun related incidents, a large number admittedly. However that very same year 42,636 Americans died in road related incidents, perhaps we should ban autos as well? Removing fundemental rights from individuals in order to pretect them from "themselves" is ridiculous and counter productive. Next free speech will pose a threat to children or lead to teen pregnancy or incite violence amongst the working class; the logic is obtuse. As a great man once said those who will trade their liberty for security diserve neither.
ReplyDeletegreat quote. who was it?
ReplyDeleteDean
P.S. want to see a scary figure - google the amount of deaths from health related effects of over eating/hamburgers etc in the USA.
Now thats some scary figures.
The quote is "He who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserves neither liberty nor safety."
ReplyDeleteAnd it was written by Benjamin Franklin in 1775.
I'll probably never be back here again .. so no use replying to this.
Compare it to some of these figures - more people die from gun retaletd deaths in USA in a 4-5 year timeframe than US war deaths in WWI:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_casualties_of_war
I always thought the Max Payne games were unrealistic, since Payne altogether kills several hundred people in each game, but now that I see this shocking statistic, it's not that unrealistic anymore! The games take place in New York by the way.
ReplyDeleteDean I'am with you all the way,
ReplyDeleteme a Brit,
and have lived in the USA,
amazingly they seem to think it's normaL???
WHAT!!!
And No One over there has the balls to try and change it!
Rob.
I live in the US, I am doing a gun control project for school, and I just want to let you know that your stats are wrong. 16,148 people died from gunfire in 2004.
ReplyDeleteMy source?
FBI, Uniform Crime Reports
Do you have a url or some actual link to your more accurate source stats?
ReplyDeleteinteresting you say FBI but dont provide an actual source.
As for the numbers, they aren't my numbers....this was the figure quoted in the NY Times article/diagram.
maybe you know better, either way it's a big freaking number.
Dean
Dean, This right was earned by Americans and guaranteed in the Constitution, it is for self defence and to protect us from a tyrannical govt. What if the Jews were allowed to keep their guns,remember Hitler also restricted gun ownership. I am not surprised that so many people want to enjoy the rights that Americans have, what is surprising to me is that, you want to change them.
ReplyDeleteDean, it is amazing that you trust the NY Times a paper with agenda
ReplyDeleteHello Dean, I came across your site while doing research on gun deaths in the United States.
ReplyDeleteThere is currently the impression that firearms are the problem rather than a tool used lawfully for defense every day. The unfortunate truth is that firearms are not going to go away. There is no way to put the Genie back into that bottle.
I quote your text above for reference.
"As an Australian the following graphic is horrifying and almost beyond comprehension.
In 2004 (the last complete year statistics are currently available) an average of 81 people died every day in the USA from gunfire."
Welcome to the U.S. Dean. Your statement above is sad but true.
Unfortunately your chances are greater to die in your car on the way to get groceries than to die by gunfire.
"In 2004 a total of 29,569 Americans died in the USA from gunfire."
In 2008, the most recent year for tracking U.S. Deaths, the U.S. Automobile death rate (through October) was the LOWEST in 42 years, at a total of 31,110 deaths, down from 34,502 at the same point in 2007. That is an average of 85 per day.
The lowest U.S. automobile death rate in 42 years is still higher than all gun deaths in the U.S. combined, including lawful defense of life by the public and police, suicides which of course will continue even if you could wave a magic wand and make all the guns in the world disappear. Suicides happened thousands of years before the invention of firearms.
What you should be concerned with more than the Gun or Automobile, is the Idiot guiding it.
Blaming crime or misery on guns is like blaming flies for garbage, or automobiles for accidents.
"Is this country nuts or what?????"
Sometimes :)
The country IS nuts! The 2nd amendment was a way to allow persons to defend their homes during the revolution, instead of keeping their guns at the armory. Additionally, the continent had to be explored and settled.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that those who included it in the Constitution could forsee the simmering war that is America.
They at least had the smarts and sense of humor to make the right to bear arms Amendment "NUMBER 2"!
Dean,
ReplyDeleteIMHO the Times was somewhat irresponsible in its reporting. Of the nearly 30k deaths by firearms in 2004, almost 17k of them were a result of self inflicted gun shots or sucide. Check out the fast stats at the CDC for yourself. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm
Many other forms of death rate as high or higher than firearm deaths.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5424a7.htm
We are the land of the free. You have the right to own or not own a gun. Make your choice, respect others and allow them their choice. It is a wonderful country where you can agree and disagree and still get along well with others.
Cheers,
TB
never disagreed with your right to own one.
ReplyDeletejust think there should be more stingent rules/education/responsibilities around it.
apart from that.... the choice is yours.
Cheers,
Dean Collins
www.LiveBaseballChat.com
Dean,
ReplyDeleteI accept what you say but I hope you realize that it is difficult to read your comment as anything but a disagreement with the right to Keep and Bear Arms. BTW - there was another commenter who gave an incomplete description of the reason for said right - it really doesn't take much research to recall that the reason citizens (The People) had to have a guaranteed right to Keep and Bear Arms was because a previous government (HRH George III) had attempted to ensure the populace was disarmed so as to unable to resist His will. We Americans love our form of government but we also understand that ANY government can potentially become tyrannical and one fundamental protection against that is an armed citizenry.