The Actual Numbers On Gun Deaths

33,636 dead in one year from firearm-related injuries.

Nearly two-thirds of these (21,175) were the result of suicide.

11,208 result from homicide.

The remaining are accidents/negligence or not determinable (508, 281, x).

Clearly, the largest number in this set is suicide. Yet, gun control or firearm buybacks won’t stop suicide. The US has a relatively moderate suicide rate compared to other Western countries such as Japan and Belgium. Yet, we have easier access to guns, which makes it easier to commit suicide. Prohibiting guns will do nothing to deter suicide.

The remaining gun deaths are homicides. 11,208. Out of these, the vast majority are driven by gang-related activity. Nearly 9000 of all homicides are gang related. This leaves 2,208 deaths by guns non-gang related.

Pretty small number for a country the size of 327,000,000, no?

And in fact, we have a very low gun death rate, even when including all the numbers that shouldn’t be included. We’re not even in the top 15 per capita.

The Actual Numbers On Gun Deaths

Gun control laws are intended solely to stop the 2,208 deaths a year from firearms. This cost of research, politicizing, and related activism costs millions upon millions a year. That money would be better spent going to prevent car accidents, where 40,000 die a year. Or suicide prevention, where 50,000 die a year (Yes, suicide by gun accounts for only half of all suicide types in the US). Or hell, even in medical and nutrition research to prevent the 650,000 that die every year due to heart disease.

2,208 is saddening. But a low number.

Let’s go a bit further and use another year for reference.

Another hot button topic is the ban on “assault rifles”.

In 2010, there were 8,775 firearm-related homicides in the US.

Only 358 murders involved a rifle.

6,009 involved a handgun.

Rifles accounted for practically none of the homicides in the US. Even shotguns had a higher kill count than rifles (373).

Yet, politicians focus on rifles. Why? Because of mass shootings.

And even smaller out of these numbers are mass shootings.     

Although mass shootings are covered extensively in the media, mass shootings in the United States account for only a small fraction of gun-related deaths.

Depending on how you define “mass shooting” (The definition is as ambiguous as “assault weapon”) there could have been either 332, 65, 7, or 371 mass shootings in the US in 2015.

See how easy it is to skew the numbers in favor of gun control yet?

Banning guns deters nothing. It won’t stop suicide. It won’t stop stupid people from winning Darwin awards and it certainly won’t stop gang members from shooting at each other.

All it does is stop good people from buying guns. You won’t fix anything else.

Watch the assault weapon slideshow: AssaultWeapon.info

Read how to stop mass shootings in the US: Hidden Dominion Mass Shootings in Schools

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