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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Srexley who wrote (39324)	3/16/2005 6:42:58 PM
From: fresc	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

criminals armed with handguns committed a record 931,000 violent crimes in 1992" If you banned hand guns this number would drop dramatically. The Safety Paradox: Injuries and Deaths Related to Firearm Use Although most people obtain handguns for home or personal protection, the actual use of a handgun for this purpose appears to be uncommon. In fact, wielding a gun in a home invasion crime can be more harmful than beneficial. In one study of 197 such crimes in Atlanta, a gun was successfully used to repel an intruder in only three cases (1.5%); whereas, in six cases (3.0%), the intruder actually reached the homeowner's gun first or seized it during a scuffle with the victim.17 Firearm-related death in the home is rarely related to strangers breaking in. One study of homicides revealed that 70% of murders were committed by a relative or intimate of the victim, with only 4% of murders traced to an intruder; in the remainder of cases, the victim-perpetrator relationship was unknown.18 The National Crime Victimization Survey reported 85,000 annual defensive uses of guns both inside and outside the home and one million instances of offensive uses of guns in injuries, deaths and criminal victimizations,19 suggesting that outcomes with guns are much more often negative than positive. Further research is necessary to determine how often guns are used for self-protection. For another perspective on firearm use for self-protection, see A Perspective on Carrying a Gun for Self-Protection on in this Box. Handgun ownership concerns physicians because of subsequent medical problems when guns, particularly loaded weapons, are kept in the home. Violent acts are easier to commit when guns are already present. In one study, homicides were almost three times more likely to occur when there was a gun in the home.19 The risk of suicide also increased; adolescents were 13 times more likely to commit suicide with a handgun in the home and 32 times more likely if the gun was loaded. Adolescents with a diagnosis of depression or another psychiatric disorder had a reduced risk of suicide when a gun was not present at home.20 Unintentional injuries present additional problems. The National Electronic Surveillance System identified 34,485 unintentional injuries over a recent two-year period. Most unintentional injuries are self-inflicted, occur when cleaning or playing with guns, and involve handguns rather than rifles. Thirty-eight percent of unintentional injuries were serious enough to warrant hospitalization, and 1,500 people died in a two-year interval from reportedly unintentional gunshot wounds.21 A Government Accounting Office (GAO) report postulated that 30% of the injuries could be avoided or mitigated by changes in firearm design.23 Finally, the most unrecognized problem related to firearms is domestic violence. Thirty to forty percent of women murdered in the United States are killed in domestic disputes, and 50% of black women and 25% of white women who attempt suicide are trying to escape battering.22 Handguns indeed appear to facilitate injury and death associated with antisocial and aggressive behavior, substance abuse, abuse of women and simple human mistakes.

To: Srexley who wrote (39324)	3/16/2005 6:43:47 PM
From: fresc	Respond to of 173976

REFERENCES Powell EC, Sheehan KM, Christoffel KK. Firearm violence among youth: public health strategies for prevention. Annals of Emergency Medicine 1996; 28:204-12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in Rates of Homicide - United States, 1985-1994. MMWR 1996; 45:460-464. Singh GK, Kochanek KD, MacDorman MF. Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1994. Monthly Vital Statistics Report 1996; 45 (3, suppl.) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts 1994. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Transportation; 1995. U.S. Dept. of Transportation publication HS 808 292. Comstock C, Strasburger VC. Deceptive appearances: television violence, aggressive behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health Care 1990; 11:31-44. Price JH, Merrill EA, Clause ME. The depiction of guns on prime time television. Journal of School Health 1992; 62:15-18. Wiley CC, Casey R. Family experiences, attitudes and household safety practices regarding firearms. Clinical Pediatrics 1993; 32:71-76. Turner CW, Goldsmith D. Effects of toy guns and airplanes on children's antisocial free play behavior. Journal of Experiemental Child Psychology 1976; 21:303-313. Kann L, Warren W, Collins JL, Ross J, Collins B, Kolbe L. Results from the national school-based 1991 youth risk behavior survey and progress toward achieving related health objectives for the nation. Public Health Reports 1993;108 (suppl 1): 47s-55s. Callahan CC, Rivara FP, Farrow JA. Youth in detention and handguns. Journal of Adolescent Health 1993; 14:350-355. Sheley JF, Wright JD. Gun acquisition and possession in selected juvenile samples. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Jusice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institutes of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; December 1993. NCJ 145326. Ash P, Kellerman AL, Fuqua-Whitley D, Johnson A. Gun acquisition and use by juvenile offenders. JAMA 1996; 275:1754-1758. Wiktor SZ, Gallaher MM, Baron RC, Watson ME, Sewell CM. Firearms in New Mexico. Western Journal of Medicine 1994; 161:137-139. Nelson DE, Grant-Worley JA, Powell K, Mercy J, Holtzman D. Population estimates of household firearm storage practices and firearm carrying in Oregon. JAMA 1996; 275: 1744-1748. Sentura YD, Christoffel KK, Donovan M. Children's household exposure to guns: a pediatric-based survey. Pediatrics 1994; 93:469-475. Bonderman J. Armed by fear: self-defense handguns and women's health. Women's Health Institute 1995; 3:3-7. Kellerman AL, Westphal L, Fischer L, Harvard B. Weapon involvement in home invasion crimes. JAMA 1995; 273:1759-1762. Kellerman AL, Rivara FP, Rushforth NB, Banton JG, Reay DT, Francisco JT, Locci AB, Prodzinski J, Hackman BB, and Somes G. Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home. NEJM 1993; 329:1084-91. Vernick JS, Teret SP, Webster DW. Regulating firearm advertisements that promise home protection: a public health intervention. JAMA 1997; 277:1391-1397. Brent DA, Perper JA, Mortiz G, Baugher M, Schweers J, Roth C. Firearms and Adolescent Suicide. A community case-control study. AJDC 1993;147:1066-1071. Sinauer N, Annest JL, Mercy JA. Unintentional, nonfatal firearm-related injuries. A preventable public health burden. JAMA 1996; 275:1740-3. Report of the US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for suicidal intent. In: Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. Baltimore, Md: Williams & Wilkins; 1996; 547-53. Olson LM, Christoffel KK, O'Connor KG. Pediatricians experiences with and attitudes toward firearms. Results of a national study. Arch Ped Ad Med 1997; 151:352-9. Price JK, Bedell AW, Everett SA, Oden L. Training in firearm safety counseling in family practice residency programs. Journal of Community Health 1997; 22:91-99. Hamberger KL, Saunders DG, Hovey M. Prevalence of domestic violence in community practice and rate of physician inquiry. Family Medicine 1992; 24:283-7. Hunt DK. Preventing firearm violence. A physician's guide. Journal of General Internal Medicine 1996; 11:694-701. US Preventive Health Task Force. Clinician's handbook of preventive services. Washington, DC: Department of Human and Health Services; 1994. Callahan CM, Rivara FP, Koepsell TD. Money for guns: evaluation of the Seattle gun buy-back program. Public Health Reports 1994; 109:472-477. Cook PJ, Cole TB. Strategic thinking about gun markets and violence. JAMA 1996; 275:1765-67. Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Bill. HR 3610, Pub L No. 104-208. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Disease Control, Research and Training. Blendon RJ, Young JT, Hemenway D. The American public and the gun control debate. JAMA 1996; 275:1719-1722. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR 1993; 42:773-777. Webster DW. The unconvincing case for school-based conflict resolution. Health Affairs 1993; 13:126-141. Wilson-Brewer R, Spivak H. Violence prevention in schools and other community settings: the pediatrician as initiator, educator, collaborator and advocate. Pediatrics 1994; 94:623:30. Ash P, Kellerman AL, Fuqua-Whitley D. Gun acquisition and use by juvenile offenders. JAMA 1996; 275:1754-1758. Cook PJ, Cole TB. Strategic thinking about gun markets and violence. JAMA 1996; 275:1765-1767. Ordog GJ, Wasserberger J, Ibanze J, Bishop M, Velayos E, Balasubramanium S, Shoemaker W. Incidence of gunshot wounds at a county hospital following the Los Angeles riots and a gang truce. J Trauma 1993; 34:779-781.