I know that this is a hot topic so I'll try not to voice my opinions. I'll just throw the facts out there and let you decide. The statistics speak for themselves. I'll warn you, they are staggering.
Some of the facts may be repeated since they come from more than one source.
From The American Bar Association Coordinating Committee on Gun Violence:
Children in the US are at far greater risk of homicide death than their counter parts in other countries. According to a 1997 survey by the Centers for Disease Control,
the rate of firearm deaths among American children aged 14 and under is nearly 12 times higher than
among children in the other 25 industrialized countries combined.
Every day in America, 14 children aged 19 and under are killed in gun homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings.
For every child killed by a gun, four more are wounded.
Each year, nearly 1,500 children are rushed to hospital emergency rooms
with accidental gun injuries. In 1994, nearly 200 children died from such wounds.
In 1994, approximately 70 percent of the murder vicitms aged 15 to 17 years old were killed with a hand gun.
According to a recent report issued by the Department of Education, over
6,000 students were expelled in 1996-1997 for bringing guns to their public schools.
A 1995 survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control found that two in 25 high school students
reported having carried a gun in thee last 30 days.
Guns kept in the home are 43 times more likely to kill a family member or friend than to kill in self-defense.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the presence of a gun in the home triples the risk of
homicide in that home.
From the American Academy of Pediatrics
U.S. News&World Report poll, 1994..In a 1994 national poll of gun owners, one in four reported keeping guns loaded and ready for use.
National Center For Health Statistics, 1996 Everyday, 16 American children under the age of 20 are killed and many more are downed by guns.
One out of five pediatricians nationwide has treated a young gunshot vicitm. American Academy of Pediatrics, 1994
IF YOU KEEP A GUN-EMPTY IT OUT-LOCK IT UP!
From The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
In 1994, firearm injuries were the second leading cause of death for young people, 10-24 yrs of age
and the third leading cause of death for persons aged 25-34.
Nearly 29% of those who died from firearm injuries in 1994 were 15 to 24 yrs old
In 1995, 7.6% or 1 in12 students in a national survey reported carrying a firearm for fighting or self defense at least
once in the previous 30 days. In 1990 this was true of 4.1% or 1 in 24 students.
Between 1985 and 1994, the risk of dying from a firearm injury has more than doubled forteenagers 15 to 19 years of age.
I'm not trying to make anyone mad here. I'm not trying to "take away" anyone's guns or infringe on anyone's rights. I'm just a concerned mother. A mother that fears not only for her own children, but children throughout the country.
