Gun control advocates need Americans to believe that a gun in the home poses a greater threat to its occupants than unwelcome guests. You know; generally. Even though the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right. As in each individual has a right to decide whether or not to have a gun in their home, regardless of [carefully massaged] statistical evidence suggesting it’s a dangerous move. But don’t tell that to the left-leaning medical professionals whose job it is to save life. Physicians like Daniel S. Blumenthal, president of the American College of Preventive Medicine . . .
To the Editor:
“Guns in Tiny Hands: In a Week, Four Toddlers Shoot Themselves” (front page, May 6) highlights the tragic folly of keeping a firearm for self-protection.
Children are not the only victims. Statistics consistently show that the probability of shooting a friend or a relative far exceeds the probability of shooting an intruder or an assailant.
Moreover, the majority of firearm-related deaths in this country are suicides; a person who attempts suicide with (for instance) an overdose of sleeping pills is often rescued, while a person who attempts suicide with a gun is nearly always successful.
In today’s climate, it is unlikely that a public-policy initiative will emerge to address these tragedies. The best strategy that a person can adopt to avoid a gun-related disaster is not to own a gun.
And the best way a person can counter a criminal attack — in their home or on the street — is to own and carry a gun. Which happens at least 50k times per year, and perhaps well over a million.
Regardless of [dubious, contextless] statistical arguments against gun ownership, removing Americans right to keep and bear arms — as many states have — is a state-sponsored disaster. Much like a large percentage of American medical practice.