Violence plays role in shorter U.S. life expectancy

By KEVIN FREKING

World Jan. 10, 2013 - 07:00AM JST ( 43 )

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43 Comments

1

semperfiJan. 10, 2013 - 08:11AM JST

The 2nd Amendment in the US Constitution has outlived its purpose. . . ........................................it is an anachronism, especially given the data ,such as that above.
-3

NovenachamaJan. 10, 2013 - 08:54AM JST

From a philosophical point of view if someone offers you a gift, and you do not accept that gift, to whom does the gift belong? It's not an easy answer. So, if someone offers you a gift of anger or hostility and you do not accept it, then it still belongs to the giver. When you choose the non-violent approach your first impact will be on yourself. You become less inclined to accept the gift of ill-will that comes your way. You simply pass when others try to seduce you into arguments or conflict of any kind. Your initial objective will not to be to change anyone, but rather deliberately and lovingly work on being an instrument of grace and indulgence. The more peaceful you become within yourself, the less you will be affected by the enmity of disaffection of others.
5

JimizoJan. 10, 2013 - 09:02AM JST

'There is little evidence that violent attacks occur more frequently in the US than elsewhere. It's the lethality of those attacks that stands out'. Interesting.
2

VirtuosoJan. 10, 2013 - 10:09AM JST

The social burden --- both public and private --- of treating and rehabilitating gunshot wound victims (the ones who survive) as well as loss of work productivity and the cost of prosecution, incarceration, etc. of the felons is immense.
2

ZenpunJan. 10, 2013 - 10:33AM JST

We have a culture in our country that, among many Americans, cherishes personal autonomy and wants to limit intrusion of government and other entities on our personal lives and also wants to encourage free enterprise and the success of business and industry.

Freedom is not the expanses of other suffering and death. Gun violence, AIDS, Stock market crash, Unemployment and obesity are shortening American live expentancy. Everything should be regulated with limited government intervention. If there is no government role for society, there is no point for employing authority. Rights and Obligation are two sides of coin.
-3

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 10, 2013 - 10:37AM JST

The USA and Finland?? Hahaha! That comparison is a lame trying to compare Mexico to Switzerland! The USA was founded on violence, the Native American Indians were out gunned, out numbered by the hungry folk surviving the May Flower ships escaping from merry old England so, we can't even try and compare say Australia and New Zealand because their populations are less than many American cities. I'm not for the NRA but America is not one super rich clean safe country, just cross the rail road tracks in any given part of town, or freeways etc... and on one side it can be nice and clean and very safe, go to the other side and it can be in some god forsaken hell hole, drugs, gangs and lots and lots of violence but do most Americans really care??
-12

Steric HindranceJan. 10, 2013 - 11:08AM JST

The 2nd Amendment in the US Constitution has outlived its purpose...

No, it is still very relevant today. In fact, more relevant today than it has ever been in recent history, considering the police state that America has become.

For example, the United States has the highest rate of firearm ownership among peer countries — 89 civilian-owned firearms for every 100 Americans, and the U.S. is home to about 35 to 50% of the world’s civilian-owned firearms, the report noted.

No matter what laws are past, those weapons will not suddenly and magically disappear, ESPECIALLY those in the hands of criminals. The US is violent and the guns are there. Some are trying to prevent people from defending themselves.

“With lives and dollars at stake, the United States cannot afford to ignore this problem,” said the report from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.

I wonder if the report from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine mentions anything about the medications that all of the mass shooters were using.
1

jojo_in_japanJan. 10, 2013 - 11:43AM JST

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

I'm not a lawyer, but I interpret this as ONLY militia being allowed to keep and bear arms. In modern times I think this applies to law enforcement and army.

However, if you really want to be nit picky you could interpret this as being able to keep and bear (dictionary definition: to be equipped or furnished with) but says nothing about actually using a firearm.
2

NessieJan. 10, 2013 - 12:03PM JST

Great article. I'm not a U.S. basher, but it's obvious that violence is a serious problem in the U.S. It's America's greatest shame, in my opinion.
0

NathawJan. 10, 2013 - 12:21PM JST

The U.S. also suffers higher rates of drug-related deaths, infant mortality and AIDS.

US also suffer higher rate of cardiac arrest and stroke due to the fast food culture. Reality is Fast food chains are also contributing the unhealthy life style. Of course merchants do not force consumers to eat and drink. It is slow killing unlike Gun violence. American breakfast is very unhealthy for regular consumption. Sex sell for media however it has dark side for unwanted teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted deceases.
0

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 10, 2013 - 12:37PM JST

Funny to worry try and compare the USA with countries like Sweden, Finland etc..them folk do not have all the drugs, gangs etc..that also fuels much of the violence in the USA. Last time I checked no Crips, Bloods sureños , Norteños etc out in "hard core ghettos in Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen etc...easier to compare the USA to France?? The UK?? Anyway, guns and violence are part of life in the USA, sad but true!
0

NessieJan. 10, 2013 - 01:11PM JST

Funny to worry try and compare the USA with countries like Sweden, Finland etc..them folk do not have all the drugs, gangs etc..that also fuels much of the violence in the USA.

Yeah, America would be much less violent if it weren't for all the violence, Elbunda. We wuz robbed.
0

SimondBJan. 10, 2013 - 01:26PM JST

Allowing citizens to own weapons of war in their homes is obviously part of the problem - after all, if all guns were banned would not the death rate drop? But you also need to factor in that close to half the current politicians in the US support reducing the right to health care that would make millions of people vunerable. What sort of nation is that? Add in the extremes between the rich and the poor and the laws made in the pass couple of decades that have increased that inequality and you start to get an idea of why the average age of Americans at the point of death is dropping.

It seems to me that for many years America just got better and better, its people better and better off, but that seems to have been in decline since the Reagan days. Unless radical changes are made to many facets of American life they will continue to decline, eventually to something like Russian standards of living are today.
0

Mark ElrodJan. 10, 2013 - 01:38PM JST

The United Staes is 10th amongst all countries in gun related deaths. 1-9 (in order) are: El Salvador Jamaica Honduras
Guatemala Swaziland Colombia Brazil Panama Mexico
3

SimondBJan. 10, 2013 - 01:47PM JST

The United Staes is 10th amongst all countries in gun related deaths. 1-9 (in order) are: El Salvador Jamaica Honduras Guatemala Swaziland Colombia Brazil Panama Mexico

So up there with the best off them I guess. I think actually, being in the top ten with that group should cause some alarm and shame.
-10

Steric HindranceJan. 10, 2013 - 02:07PM JST

Allowing citizens to own weapons of war in their homes is obviously part of the problem - after all, if all guns were banned would not the death rate drop?

Murderers don't care whether they are allowed to have a gun. If the government could wave a magic wand and get all guns to magically disappear, then yes, the death rate would drop.

But simply banning guns will only prevent honest law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves.

Recent mass killings were done by nuts who chose gun-free zones, places where guns are banned.
3

TheQuestionJan. 10, 2013 - 02:17PM JST

Every cause of death in the US is higher. Diseases linked to lifestyle choices, sexually transmitted diseases, car accidents, drug overdoses, and work related accidents are all much more common in the US than in other western nations. In 2008 roughly 12,000 people died in the US from gun homicides out of 2.4 million that died in total in 2008 in the US, less than .5% of deaths are gun homicides.

I'll argue the topic of gun control any day of the week but to claim that gun homicides have anything other than a negligible impact on American life expectancy is absurd. Any loss of life is regrettable but if your going to argue for gun control there are far more sensible avenues to take, I'll argue against them all day of course but at least I can recognize a good platform and this isn't it.

The United Staes is 10th amongst all countries in gun related deaths.

The US also has several times the population of many of those other countries mentioned. The US also contends with drug cartels spilling over from the southern boarder and gang violence in cities with populations greater than some countries.
1

NolivingJan. 10, 2013 - 02:19PM JST

I'm not a lawyer, but I interpret this as ONLY militia being allowed to keep and bear arms. In modern times I think this applies to law enforcement and army.

What it means is that owning a firearm is an individual right so that they can form a militia. It is hard to form a militia if you don't bring your own weapons. The supreme court also ruled that a citizen does not have to be part of a state organized/sponsored militia. They can form an unorganized not state sponsored militia.

Militia by its definition is force of civilians that are not part of the regular military/army. Law enforcement has never been a militia and to be fair when the constitution was written law enforcement existed in several nations around the globe.

The United Staes is 10th amongst all countries in gun related deaths.

It is important to note that basically two thirds of all gun deaths in the US are suicides.

Great article. I'm not a U.S. basher, but it's obvious that violence is a serious problem in the U.S. It's America's greatest shame, in my opinion.

The goodness is that violence as a grand total is on the way down in the US, for example in the past 20 years the total gun violence including homicides has been cut in half. Since 2007 gun violence as a grand total has decreased by 15%. The real problem the US has is that it has a culture that says violence/force is an acceptable way to solve problems or is the primary way to resolve conflicts.

Allowing citizens to own weapons of war in their homes is obviously part of the problem - after all, if all guns were banned would not the death rate drop?

Define weapons of war, are you talking about rifles? Rifles at most make up 334 homicides a year in the US. Shotguns I believe are just over 350 deaths a year. More people die in the US by fists and feet than are killed by the combined homicides of rifles and shotguns. Handguns are pretty much used in more than 80% of all gun crimes.

It seems to me that for many years America just got better and better, its people better and better off, but that seems to have been in decline since the Reagan days.

Oh come on the US was pretty good under Bill Clinton.
0

NolivingJan. 10, 2013 - 02:25PM JST

So up there with the best off them I guess. I think actually, being in the top ten with that group should cause some alarm and shame.

I wouldn't be alarmed when you consider that gun violence in the US has been cut in half in the past 20 years and since 2007 it is down 15%. Gun violence is on the way down not up in the US. I would only be alarmed if gun violence was on the way up. Also there is quite a range between the top 5 and the bottom 5. For example El Savador has a homicide rate with guns of over 50 per 100k while the US is 3.7 per 100k. Jamaica's is 47.44 homicides per 100k. So its not like they are even close when it comes to being in the top 10.
1

NolivingJan. 10, 2013 - 02:34PM JST

I find this off of yahoo about how education factors into life expectancy in the US:

The new study, by the University of Illinois at Chicago, specifically compared groups by their level of education, as the amount of schooling one has tends to predict other health issues as well. Less educated people are more likely to smoke, be obese, abuse drugs, and (most importantly) lack health insurance. The gap between life expectancy for white women with a college degree and those without a high school diploma is more than 10 years. For men, it's 13 years.

http://news.yahoo.com/life-expectancy-shirnking-white-people-103017407.html
2

AthletesJan. 10, 2013 - 02:37PM JST

But simply banning guns will only prevent honest law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves.

Even they have guns Not all of the law - abiding citizens can not protect themselves. Some are too old. Some are too young. Some have mental impairment. Some have low IQ. According the Marine theory of Guns, never point the gun without intention of shooting. Bullet proof vests are better alternative instead of guns.

Law enforcement has never been a militia and to be fair when the constitution was written law enforcement existed in several nations around the globe.

US military is strong therefore US does not need militia like Switzerland. Swiss population and their Arm Forces are small. Their defense budget is smaller too. Swiss Civilians are para military and keep the guns at home for fighting back foreign invasion. No nation on that earth has gut to come to US soil for invasion. Missiles may be possible . However guns can not shoot down missiles.

It is important to note that basically two thirds of all gun deaths in the US are suicides.

According Australia experience, after banning gun, suicides rate have gone down.

Oh come on the US was pretty good under Bill Clinton.

During the Cliton years, US enjoyed the golden age of peace, prosperity. Relatively safer too. He is the most charming president of the USA.
1

CosJan. 10, 2013 - 02:58PM JST

The real problem the US has is that it has a culture that says violence/force is an acceptable way to solve problems or is the primary way to resolve conflicts.

People that are unable to read, write, understand well what is said to them and in media, people unable to communicate and deal with society normally...they will become violent when they have problems. Any social worker will tell you. There exist violence in all social classes, but among those that are dumb, it's nearly systematic. It's a problem of education. America has it more than anywhere else. There are educated Americans, sure, and they are the kings there. The proportion and low level of those that are education failures are incredible compared to Japan or Europe. Why ? The abysmal level of many public schools and home-schooling. So violence, drugs, etc. But many are not even to take care of themselves, to have protected sex, to eat decently, to feed their children in way that they don't become fatter than pigs...

Militia by its definition is force of civilians that are not part of the regular military/army.

No. That are not "permanently part". It's like volunteer firemen, vs pro firemen. People in a militia are not doing it as a career. They are trained and organized by regular military, or in coordination with them. That implies a military service of militia members and some periodic meetings for retraining. That doesn't exist anywhere that all the Joes and Janes that have gun can gather in a gang and they become a militia and decide what justice is. For that, the word is vigilante. I mean you wouldn't call the ku klux kan a militia ?
-7

Steric HindranceJan. 10, 2013 - 03:32PM JST

Bullet proof vests are better alternative instead of guns.

??? So if some scumbags break into your home, you put on a bullet-proof vest on yourself and and your kids? Quite silly, no? There are many examples of parents using a gun to protect their family from home invaders, unfortunately these are not widely publicized.

US military is strong therefore US does not need militia like Switzerland.

I think you missed the intent of the 2nd amendment.

I guess they didn't need a militia back in the 1770's, because their military (the British) were also quite strong then. Because the British failed to disarm the people, America gained its independence and freedom. If the British had disarmed them, we would instead have one big Canada!
-2

bass4funkJan. 10, 2013 - 05:01PM JST

I guess they didn't need a militia back in the 1770's, because their military (the British) were also quite strong then. Because the British failed to disarm the people, America gained its independence and freedom. If the British had disarmed them, we would instead have one big Canada!

Thank God for the 2nd Amendment! That would have been a serious tragedy.

Personally, I don't believe that most Americans need to have an Assault rifle in their home, but that is just My personal opinion, however, I do want the option of being able to own a handgun to protect my home and my family. I refuse to become a victim, if the possibility arises, a person trying to break into my home will be a very unhappy person, that I can assure you.
1

sailwindJan. 10, 2013 - 05:18PM JST

This article is a total object failure and does no one any favors. It avoids very unpleasant truths as they are not politically correct. Example:

Homicide, they noted, is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults aged 15-24. The large majority of those homicides involve firearms.

This is a terrible statistic but any measure but drilling down it's not spread evenly at all and really afflects one section of the population :

In 2010, the homicide rate for black male teens was 51.7 per 100,000, more than 22 times higher than the rate for white male teens (2.4 per 100,000). Rates for other groups were 17.9 per 100,000 for Hispanic males, 11.9 per 100,000 for American Indian males, and 3.2* per 100,000 for Asian and Pacific Islander males. (Figure 3)

http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/?q=node/174

Most of this violence is also contained within the ethnic group itself, black male teens killing other black male teens, hispanics killing hispanics and it is hugely related to gang activity.

The U.S has gotten to the point that if one merely points this out, one runs the risk of the disgusting charge being hurled....your a racist! Shutting down the entire conversation, but facts are facts. And even more tragic a media being politically correct has done no one any favors. We've gotten so much worse in America for discussions that need to be held between all of America's citizens because our Media keeps refusing to be an objective force in reporting just the cold hard facts anymore.

This article could have gone a long way by including the fact that blacks and hispanic minorities in America are killing each other at an appalling rate way over other groups and point out that gang violence is what has been driving this and skewing the numbers for years now. It could have pointed out that this is were we need to focus America's efforts to cut down on gun violence. Not sugar coat anything and report the facts that this is happening in our minority communities and it's just not rampant everywhere else.

This is truly where America's national conversation on this needs to be if we want to truly cut down on gun violence. Gang culture has to be taken on an shown what a loser lifestyle it really is by all levels of American society, instead of the Media publishing tripe from a study that asserts that America's gun problem is.............

“One behavior that probably explains the excess lethality of violence and unintentional injuries in the United States is the widespread possession of firearms and the common practice of storing them (often unlocked) at home. The statistics are dramatic,” the report said.

Because people actually who own the guns in America just are a careless group that don't lock them up so others can get a hold of them to commit crime.
1

CosJan. 10, 2013 - 05:49PM JST

Most of this violence is also contained within the ethnic group itself, black male teens killing other black male teens, hispanics killing hispanics and it is hugely related to gang activity.

OK most of the violence is contained in a minority that makes what ? They'll be 70% of population within 10 years, y tu, tambien hablara espanol. The "White trash" are just doing the same. Inbred hillbillies and prairie cults too. Violence is the daily life of all uneducated ghettos. Oh, let them play with guns...

Because people actually who own the guns in America just are a careless group

Half of America is a careless group ? Let's not nitpick, that's a careless country. Maybe that can't change. They never had a concern for society, a concern to make the whole population progress.
0

sailwindJan. 10, 2013 - 06:49PM JST

OK most of the violence is contained in a minority that makes what ?

Where the problem is and where efforts need to be focused. A combination of carrot and stick with tough law enforcement, programs focused on gang intervention and along with programs that encourage stable two parent families instead of single parent households would be some worthwhile things to break down the violence in these communities.

They'll be 70% of population within 10 years, y tu, tambien hablara espanol.

So what? America has always been a nation of Immigrants it isn't like this hasn't happened before in our history. Irish wave, Italian wave, now an Hispanic wave, you act like this is something we should fear or something.

The "White trash" are just doing the same. Inbred hillbillies and prairie cults too.

More of that famous liberal "civility" I see.

Violence is the daily life of all uneducated ghettos

Not quite sure about that. Many countries have poor areas and shanty towns but low crime and violence, Vietnam, Albania are among the safest countries in the world.

They never had a concern for society, a concern to make the whole population progress.

Doesn't explain the whole immigrant thing that I mentioned earlier. No immigrant is going to want to go to a country that has no concerns for society, it just defies common sense.
3

FadamorJan. 10, 2013 - 11:58PM JST

No, it is still very relevant today. In fact, more relevant today than it has ever been in recent history, considering the police state that America has become.

I can only laugh in utter disbelief whenever anyone tries to imply that the second amendment makes sure civilians can protect themselves against the government. So you have your pretty little Bushmaster .223 AR-15 wanna-be. You may even have FIVE of them. How's that going to help you against that M1A2 Abrahms that has its 122mm barrel pointed at the bunker you've turned your house into? How do you plan on taking down those fighter/bombers with your pop gun? Gee, if ONLY you had some anti-tank or anti-air missiles! The second amendment doesn't let you have those, so you lose.
-2

NolivingJan. 11, 2013 - 12:13AM JST

US military is strong therefore US does not need militia like Switzerland. Swiss population and their Arm Forces are small. Their defense budget is smaller too. Swiss Civilians are para military and keep the guns at home for fighting back foreign invasion. No nation on that earth has gut to come to US soil for invasion. Missiles may be possible . However guns can not shoot down missiles.

Or the US could reduce its military thus reduce how much it spends on its military and rely more on civilian militia for its grunt force. Currently right now no nation has the gut come to US soil for invasion, large part is the power the US military has but another part is the fact that there is basically 1 gun for every man,woman, child, and baby. Yep guns can't shoot down missiles but missiles can't win wars.

According Australia experience, after banning gun, suicides rate have gone down.

Have attempted suicide rates also gone down? US has seen a decrease in suicide rates as well as homicide rates.

US enjoyed the golden age of peace, prosperity. Relatively safer too.

Crime rates are lower now than they were under Clinton. My state's crime rate peaked in 1995, which is not Clinton's fault.

No. That are not "permanently part".

Yes....Militia forces are not part of the regular army/military part time or even permanently.

They are trained and organized by regular military

No that is not true for all militias. Their are militias that don't do any training with a regular army/military.

or in coordination with them

Just because a group coordinates with another group some of the time or all the time does not mean they are part of that group or that they fall under the command and control of that group. A militia force is not part of the regular army/military. Just because a militia may accept training from a foreign power or a domestic power does not mean it is part of the regular army/military.

That implies a military service of militia members and some periodic meetings for retraining.

A militia force is a military force that is not part of the regular army/military.

People that are unable to read, write, understand well what is said to them and in media, people unable to communicate and deal with society normally...they will become violent when they have problems.

Sigh, Yes and No to that....by that argument people with Autism would be more violent than the population that does not have Autsim.

The vast majority of violent crime are by people who can read, write and understand well what is said to them in the media and can deal with society "normally".

The proportion and low level of those that are education failures are incredible compared to Japan or Europe. Why ? The abysmal level of many public schools and home-schooling.

So you believe that if you took the ones who had low levels of education and were able to get them into school that their violent tendencies would drop because they got an education? Japan's suicide rate is higher than the combine homicide and suicide rate of the US, in other words Japanese are very violent to themselves.

That doesn't exist anywhere that all the Joes and Janes that have gun can gather in a gang and they become a militia and decide what justice is. For that, the word is vigilante. I mean you wouldn't call the ku klux kan a militia

Actually it exists everywhere just that in most places it is illegal. You can call the KKK a militia you can also call them a terrorist organization, a hate group, rebels, insurgents, criminal group/gang.....

That implies a military service of militia members and some periodic meetings for retraining.

Nope...Would you call the insurgent groups that were formed by tribes in Iraq a militia even though they were not part of a regular army/military or coordinated with them? Absolutely. Would you call the Kurdish rebels in the southern areas of Turkey a militia force? Absolutely. Would you call the FARC a militia force? Absolutely. Would you call the Chechnyan rebels a militia force? Absolutely. Would you call the drug cartels in Mexico a militia force? Absolutely. Would you call the MILF in southern areas of Philippines a militia force? Absolutely. Would you call the Syrian rebels a militia force? Absolutely.
-1

NolivingJan. 11, 2013 - 02:28AM JST

I can only laugh in utter disbelief whenever anyone tries to imply that the second amendment makes sure civilians can protect themselves against the government. So you have your pretty little Bushmaster .223 AR-15 wanna-be. You may even have FIVE of them. How's that going to help you against that M1A2 Abrahms that has its 122mm barrel pointed at the bunker you've turned your house into? How do you plan on taking down those fighter/bombers with your pop gun? Gee, if ONLY you had some anti-tank or anti-air missiles! The second amendment doesn't let you have those, so you lose.

Really? How do you explain the Taliban or the Iraqi insurgents or the Syrians? The US has just over 1000 main battle tanks. Do you honestly think that 1000 main battle tanks could stop a force the size of 5% of NYC (400,000, not their metro area)? Do you think all of the fighter/bombers in the US could stop lets say 10% of Chicago's metro area (900,000+) if they decided to attack the naval base that is just north of the Chicago? The sheer number would overwhelm them.

Aircraft can't stay in the air forever nor can they be rearmed while in the Air. So how do you take them out? You attack their airfields while at the same time attacking their fuel refineries.

Do you honestly think the US force right now in Afghanistan could hold off if lets say 10% of their population (more than 2 million people) armed with semi-automatic rifles were to charge all of their bases at the same time?

Lets take London, lets say a quarter of London was armed with firearms and went into open revolt do you honestly think the UK airforce could hold them off?
0

Kuya 808Jan. 11, 2013 - 04:47AM JST

If you take all the violent deaths in the US and add them up it still doesn't come close to the number of people who die from avoidable hospital errors.

You have a much higher chance of being killed by your doctor than by getting shot with a gun.

I think the doctors who published this report are just trying to jump on the "end gun violence" bandwagon to draw attention away from the reality of their murderous ways.
0

NathawJan. 11, 2013 - 09:37AM JST

You have a much higher chance of being killed by your doctor than by getting shot with a gun.

One or two may be killed by Doctor. No doctor have killed mass people with human error. Semi automatic guns can kill many dozens of people within a few minutes. Some magazine can accomodate 100 bullets. If the murderer have two AR 15, he can kill two hundred people within a few minutes. Com[paring Gun Violence and Doctor Mistake like comparing Bush fire and cigarratte lighter fire.
-1

NessieJan. 11, 2013 - 09:55AM JST

The US also has several times the population of many of those other countries mentioned. The US also contends with drug cartels spilling over from the southern boarder

Yeah, good thing Mexico, also in the top ten, doesn't have a problem with drug cartels.
0

NolivingJan. 11, 2013 - 10:56AM JST

One or two may be killed by Doctor. No doctor have killed mass people with human error. Semi automatic guns can kill many dozens of people within a few minutes. Some magazine can accomodate 100 bullets. If the murderer have two AR 15, he can kill two hundred people within a few minutes. Com[paring Gun Violence and Doctor Mistake like comparing Bush fire and cigarratte lighter fire.

So one or two incidents a year in which a dozen or more people or killed means that is more important to fix than say 100 events of the same type that result in death that take place in a single day?
0

Kuya 808Jan. 11, 2013 - 11:28AM JST

One or two may be killed by Doctor

Research has indicated that there are approximately 15,000,000 cases of medical error in the US every year. Of those cases an estimated 98,000 result in the death of the patient. Medical error is identified as the 6th leading cause of death in America.

In 2010 there were 31,513 deaths caused by firearms; 19,308 suicides, 11,015 homicides and 600 accidents. Making firearm related death the 9th leading cause.

So I repeat; you are more likely to be killed by your doctor than by being murdered with a gun. Almost nine times more likely, in fact.
0

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 11, 2013 - 11:34AM JST

The USA needs to rethink this whole idea of letting anybody and everybody own guns, why should gang members, drug dealers, be allowed to own guns??? It does not make any sense, only to the gun dealers who only want $$$$$$$!!
0

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 11, 2013 - 11:36AM JST

Why is it legal to sell, buy machine guns in the USA??
0

Kuya 808Jan. 11, 2013 - 12:01PM JST

Why is it legal to sell, buy machine guns in the USA??

Actually it is pretty hard to buy or sell a machinegun in the US. They have been regulated at the Federal level since 1934 and the requirements for ownership are extremely stringent. To legally purchase a machine gun you must: 1. Be a US Citizen at least 21 years old 2. Be of sane mind 3. Not an abuser of drugs or alcohol 4. Have never been convicted of a felony 5. Pay a $200.00 Federal Transfer Tax on each weapon purchased. (This is a one-time tax, not a yearly tax) 6. Fill out BATF Form 4 and submit to ATF. This involves getting a Signature of the "Chief Law Enforcement Officer" in your area signifying that he has no knowledge that you will use your weapon for anything other that lawful purposes 7. Have your fingerprints/photographs taken and submitted to BATF with the above application.

Future more, only guns that were registered as a machinegun prior to 1986 are considered to be transferable so there is a limited supply available.

As an aside, since the enactment of the National Firearms Act of 1934 there has only been one case of a legally owned machinegun being used in the commission of a crime, and in that case the owner was a police officer.
0

Elbuda MexicanoJan. 11, 2013 - 09:01PM JST

So all the Chinese AK47s being found north of the Mexican border?? Many illegal weapons have gun runners working 24/7! The US government can't inspections of what is coming into ports like Los Angeles and Long Beach??
1

Kuya 808Jan. 12, 2013 - 04:15AM JST

So all the Chinese AK47s being found north of the Mexican border?? Many illegal weapons have gun runners working 24/7

Elbuda,

You said it right there "illegal weapons have gun runners working 24/7!". A legally purchased, fully automatic AK 47 commands a price of between $15,000 and $30,000 in the US, that is if you can meet the requirements to buy one. On the other hand, an illegal one smuggled into Mexico from it's Central American neighbors runs more like $50. International gun runners and drug cartels sort of run in the same circle and do business with each other all the time. If you want to buy an illegal machinegun your best bet is to look up your local drug smuggler, I'm sure he can set you up.

Contrary to what you hear, it has been found that as many as 90% of the automatic weapons confiscated by the Mexican authorities have come from the military arsenals of their southern neighbors; there are millions of them down there. If in fact there are automatic AK 47s being found north of the Mexican border the chances are much greater that they found their way there via Mexico from Guatemala, Nicaragua or Colombia. And honestly, do you think that if the US bans assault weapons and high capacity magazines the gun runners and cartels are going to say "Oh well, I guess we have to stop"?
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RomeoRIIJan. 14, 2013 - 12:12PM JST

Here in the U.S., most of the gun deaths are single shot at close range with intent. There are very few semiautomatic-related incidents at random victims.

RR
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RomeoRIIJan. 14, 2013 - 12:47PM JST

The United States has about six violent deaths per 100,000 residents.

Violent deaths, really? The MSM loves to use the term"violent deaths" then use the ol' bait and switch tactic and talk about gun ownership which are two different things entirely and then twist that use of "data" to support their agenda: to ban guns.

RR
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true believerJan. 25, 2013 - 02:47PM JST

"The United Staes is 10th amongst all countries in gun related deaths. 1-9 (in order) are: El Salvador Jamaica Honduras Guatemala Swaziland Colombia Brazil Panama Mexico"

It is pure coincidence that within the United States people of African and Hispanic ancestry are most likely to shoot and be shot.