Some Very Basic and General Stats

Jazzninja · January 13, 2015, 10:13 PM

I just thought that I would share these with you all. I ran these stats as part of an online debate that I allowed myself to get sucked into when a commentator from the other side started posting news articles about children accidentally shooting friends/siblings/family members etc. The debate initially started with some sensationalist rhetoric about the wave of mass gun crime. However when I pointed out that ALL violent crime has been dropping for the past twenty years, they switched tactics to focus on the problem of accidental shootings. The person asked me (presumably sarcastically) what the stats looked like for those, so I gave him some. It is likely nothing you all don't already know, but feel free to share them and use them in your own debates if you are so inclined. The crime stats are derived from the FBI Uniform Crime Reports and the stats on accidental firearm deaths are derived from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention WISQARS Reports.

**Tom Servo** · January 13, 2015, 10:27 PM

What's interesting is, we've seen a steady decline since the 1930's.

And this is in the face of firearms ownership tripling in this country over that time period.

January 13, 2015, 10:27 PM	#2
Tom Servo Staff Join Date: September 27, 2008 Location: Foothills of the Appalachians Posts: 13,059	What's interesting is, we've seen a steady decline since the 1930's. And this is in the face of firearms ownership tripling in this country over that time period. __________________ Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change. --Randall Munroe