NB: the fact that the accidental/negligent firearms-related death rate continues its dramatic decline in the U.S. was buried in the 75th paragraph of the 110-paragraph Times epic Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll and unmentioned in the following press release.
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Based on an expose in Sunday’s New York Times suggesting that so-called “accidental” shooting deaths of American children are radically underreported, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is calling on Congress and state legislatures to take immediate action to address the lack of adequate government oversight of guns. These deaths should always be referred to as negligent, not “accidental,” and all adults whose guns are used in the shootings of children should be held accountable and punished by federal and state laws.
Due to manipulation by the gun lobby and Congress’s acquiescence, firearms have been specifically exempted from regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). A 1976 amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Act specifically states that the CPSC “shall make no ruling or order that restricts the manufacture or sale of guns, guns ammunition, or components of guns ammunition, including black powder or gun powder for guns.” As a result, the CPSC can regulate teddy bears and toy guns but not real guns.
And in state after state, gun rights advocates and lobbyists have cited phony federal numbers as proof that child gun deaths are inconsequential and that state storage laws are unnecessary. We must no longer allow special interest groups that stand to profit from a proliferation of guns drive state laws based on studies built from these flawed government statistics.
We call on Congress to immediately pass HR 2464, sponsored by CongresswomanRobin Kelly, which would put guns and firearms under the watch of the CPSC along with toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals. In addition, state legislatures must enact laws that hold adults accountable for children accessing firearms. Currently, fewer than 20 states have such laws in place.
For too long, we have entrusted our elected officials to ensure that the shooting deaths of American children are being actively addressed, prevented, and reported. The mothers of America are saddened and sickened that federal and state legislators have turned a blind eye to this crisis, and we demand action now.
About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Much like Mothers Against Drunk Driving was created to change laws regarding drunk driving, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America was created to build support for common-sense gun reforms. The nonpartisan grassroots movement of American mothers is demanding new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. In just nine months, the organization has more than 100,000 members with a chapter in every state in the country. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter @MomsDemand.
SOURCE Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
“phony federal numbers…” Looks like gun owners aren’t the only ones wearing tinfoil hats. The heifers in Mom Demand Attention want some sheet metal action, too.
This asshat group still around?
Sheesh…
What is it with some women and not knowing when to leave? Or in this case, not knowing when to not even show up in the first place?
Follow the money. They are not doing this with the leftover change they save from their grocery accounts.
If they get almost a million new members, they can change their name back to ‘million mom’s for gun control’
The day they put swimming pools and bath tubs into this category.
I might acquiesce to MDA wishes all two dozen of them.
Although sad. Any accidental death of a child say 12 and under.
I have to pick a realistic age barrier here a 20 year old isn’t a child sorry folks.
Its a non starter in the whole scheme of things.
Statistically an almost inconsequential number.
Although 1 is 1 too many.
So if her child at 19 (since we are using their definition of child) takes her car and runs somebody over with it do we hold her accountable, for the negligent death? These people are ridiculous.
If Shannon Watts had a son, he’d look just like Noah.
If Shannon Watts had a son, he’d run away from home and change his name. Can you imagine the embarrassment of being related to that ghoul?
And yet, these same people would scream bloody murder if the Eddie the Eagle program were taught in schools.
When the left always talks about “adequate funding for education” what they really mean is “adequate funding for LEFTIST education”.
Or more specifically still, we want the Federal government to fund education so we have more control over it.
Can these heifers just please stampede their way back to the all you can eat buffets from whence they came?? Cause until they start to rail against high capacity silverware and deadly hidden carbs I’m ignoring them
Ha ha HA!
If they have 100,000 members, how come there is only, on average, like nine of them (including their children, whom even if they are 8 years old are always in strollers for some reason) during their agitprop rallies? Is the 100,000 number how many people liked them on facebook? Or people who put their e-mail addresses into their website to “join”? From what I’ve seen, they could not possibly have more than a few hundred active members. Which is good, because they are the most shrill and obnoxious of the bunch.
It is unfortunate that regardless of the actual number of members of “Mothers Against Stuff That Scares Us”, They have a huge unregistered membership of the majority of the Brown Stream Media that is willing to publish without fact checking or editorial oversight whatever these women want to assert.
I think they are counting the children in the membership.
My understanding is guns are regulated by the SAAMI, no? And also the ATF?
ATF yes. SAAMI is a standardization body, similar to ANSI or ISO.
Shanon Watts should look at the number of drownings each year. Should could then lobby to ban water.
I have told a few people in such discussions that if they truly cared bout the body count from accidental deaths, they have no logical choice but to push for a ban on swimming pools. They are truly luxury items, they have very little real uses beyond leisure and the few people who have a real need for a pool can use their local community center pools.
It’s a hard thing cathing someone before they’ve fully metabolized the kool-aid.
Nothing sadder that a preventable negligent depthcharge.
“About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America”
I wouldn’t mind giving a few of my guns some sense.
I sense that there are lots of guns in this house.
They will never have a valid argument until they balance their so-called ‘gun violence’ against every last defensive gun use in the US annually AND the total number of citizens murdered by democratically elected governments that turned totalitarian and confiscated civilian guns.
They can’t ever afford to acknowledge the other side of the issue because if they ever slowed down and thought rationally they’d lose their emotionally charged dopamine rushes and change their minds oh the issue.
“The nonpartisan grassroots movement of American mothers”
a non partisan organization, right.
Yeah – they’re a grassroots movement, but the NRA is “the gun lobby’s bitch” and not a body representing gun owners across America. Funny (meaning sad) how if you’re against guns, you are legitimized, but if you’re pro gun, you have zero credibility.
I have the misfortune of knowing some of these misguided women. If you look into Shannon Watts you’ll find that she married a much older, bald rich guy in Zionsville, IN. So now she gets to use that money for her psychotic anti-gun scheme w/ no productive employment. One wonders how she finds the time to spend with her kids and step-kids while campaigning around the country. What really clinched my disgust for these unfit mothers was the parading of their kids around with signs saying “NRA Kills Kids.” That is so far outside the realm of reality and decency to use your own children as propaganda. I’m struggling to finds words to express my anger! They have no logical points to make and regularly quote false statistics. What a ;)@@$);: disgrace.
They are Useful Idiots. And pathological liars.
Mrs. Watts has enough money on her own, she was head of PR for Monsanto and also GE Pharmaceutical. She IS NOT suzy home maker soccer mom.
Those are a couple of popular corporations among the San Fran leftist crowd.
***Sarcasm Warning***
Clearly I need to do more research before opening my yap on a person I don’t know, such as I did in my comment below regarding Mrs. Watts…but can I still chuckle at the thought of her having a daddy complex vis-a-vis her wish for transferring all self-defense responsibility to the state?
Levi Reed must be an asshole..
Complete idiots, clueless,Victims waiting to happen!
Don’t blame her, she means well. She is wrong and broken to boot (and somehow I am not shocked to learn she has a daddy husband), but don’t blame her. Blame the crackpot lawyers making millions off an idea as weak this. Ideas this screwy only see the light of day because some lawyer can make their next million…be that “lawyer” elected or just your average schmuck.
The CPSC? You just can’t make this sh!t up… If the trigger is pulled, the big stick goes bang and makes a hole where it is pointed. The product works as designed…right? Hasn’t this idea failed before?
I’m not in any way saying that more laws is the answer, but we (the gun owning community) need to do more to prevent accidents/negligence with firearms, including safe storage when there are children are present. I know that children die from a myriad of preventable causes, among which firearm accidents are only one, but as the owners and users of dangerous tools, it’s incumbent upon us to make them as safe as humanly possible.
The reason guns are exempt, is because making a tool designed to cause bodily harm safe is problematic for its proper use and function – end of story.
How is this a “hidden toll?” All they’re saying is that accidental childhood death by firearm is underreported to the exact extent that homicide of children using firearms is over-reported.
I don’t think accidental shootings are under reported. Given that compared to justifiable shootings, they are very rare, they get a substantial coverage in at least the regional media and at least some coverage nationally.
This is my point too. A child killed by a gun may be underreported as an accident, but it is reported and makes its way into gun death statistics. However, defensive gun uses are seriously underreported. Yet they don’t whine about this lack of notice. Wonder why. Actually I don’t wonder, I know. It doesn’t fit with their narrative. They really really don’t want to acknowledge the 10’s of thousands that may have been seriously hurt or killed if it were not for their ‘little friend’.
I never understood this. Its a gun for f**** sake! Everyone knows it is a potentially lethal instrument regardless of their depth of firearms knowledge. How can you make something like that safer when its safety in 99% of circumstances is dependent on the operator (barring manufacturing defect)? To me I equate it to a chain saw; a chain saw is extremely dangerous to use if you don’t know what you are doing. The nature of its purpose and design makes it dangerous, and it is not possible to make it much safer because of that design and purpose. A firearm is the same way; the nature of its design and function can only be improved upon so much to make it ‘safer’. But I guess that is just far too much actual common sense and puts too much burden on the individual and their actions for many people to cope with.
Lets also not forget to mention the fact that these ‘guns need to be safer’ cries never really define what is meant by ‘safer’. I’d like to hear a coherent idea of what a safe firearm is from one of these people and I have yet to see one.