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Gun Vs. Traffic Accident Deaths: Getting The Data Straight
Investor's Business Daily ^ | January 29, 2016 | John R Lott Jr

Posted on 01/30/2016 3:02:15 AM PST by richardb72

Which are you more likely to be killed by: a car or a gun? We all know how many people die on the roads each year, so it would be mindblowing if there were actually more gun deaths than motor vehicle deaths.

Well, that’s exactly what the Associated Press is claiming happened in Tennessee in 2014. Media outlets from the San Francisco Chronicle to the Washington Times all ran stories on this. Others are even reporting that gun deaths exceeded traffic deaths in a total of 20 states.

Their source? Primarily a report by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). In the case of Tennessee, 1,020 people supposedly died from gun-related deaths in 2014, including homicides, suicides and accidental shootings. The VPC claimed 1,000 people died from vehicle deaths — crashes and pedestrians struck by vehicles.

Over and over again, the VPC has been caught misreporting numbers. It is surprising that anyone, let alone the Associated Press, still takes it seriously.

The firearm death count comes from Centers for Disease Control reports. The VPC messed up on its arithmetic. There were actually 978 firearm deaths (277 homicides, 596 suicides, and 105 unintentional shootings). Thus, Tennessee had fewer firearm deaths than motor vehicle deaths. . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: banglist; cprc; guncontrol; mediabias; violencepolicycenter
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1 posted on 01/30/2016 3:02:15 AM PST by richardb72
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To: richardb72

Also, don’t forget that if suicides are counted among “gun deaths”, to be fair one has to include suicides (and other deaths) by CO poisoning from automobile exhaust along with traffic fatalities in “auto deaths”.


2 posted on 01/30/2016 3:05:24 AM PST by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know...)
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To: richardb72

In most states, if you deducted suicide by gun and hunter accidental shootings...you’d probably wipe out a third of the statistics for the state.

Oddly, in several states (Tenn, I think for example)....if you noted motorcycle accident deaths from May to October...it’s a significant number and it’d scare folks to realize how many guys die on weekend motorcycle drives. But we don’t ever talk about that because it’s guns that we get all focused on.

If you brought up boating injuries during summer months, and alcohol attributing to the episode....that would freak people out. But I don’t see anyone hyped up enough to do much.


3 posted on 01/30/2016 3:07:31 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: richardb72
The Violence Policy Center seems to be a broken record on this issue. Of course being heavily funded by Soros may have something to do with it. Fitting that a Hitler loving Nazi would want Americans disarmed isn't it?

http://bearingarms.com/fail-violence-policy-center-is-caught-fabricating-anti-gun-data-again-still/ http://kleinonline.wnd.com/2015/06/21/soros-group-americans-dont-really-use-guns-for-self-defense/

4 posted on 01/30/2016 3:18:14 AM PST by jsanders2001
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To: richardb72
The Violence Policy Center seems to be a broken record on this issue. Of course being heavily funded by Soros may have something to do with it. Fitting that a Hitler loving Nazi would want Americans disarmed isn't it?

http://bearingarms.com/fail-violence-policy-center-is-caught-fabricating-anti-gun-data-again-still/

http://kleinonline.wnd.com/2015/06/21/soros-group-americans-dont-really-use-guns-for-self-defense/

5 posted on 01/30/2016 3:18:38 AM PST by jsanders2001
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To: richardb72

“Which are you more likely to be killed by: a car or a gun? We all know how many people die on the roads each year, so it would be mindblowing if there were actually more gun deaths than motor vehicle deaths.”

The correct question is how may people are shot to death on American highways? (it’s early and I’m being snarky)


6 posted on 01/30/2016 3:19:51 AM PST by Artie (We are surrounded by MORONS)
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To: jsanders2001
Funny how all the guys who ARE protected by gun toting thugs don't want us to be armed isn't it?

http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2013/02/funding-for-gun-control-organizations.html

"The best known gun control groups are the Brady Center and the Violence Policy Center (VPC). VPC receives most of its funding from the Joyce Foundation ($6.3 million since 1998) on whose board Obama used to serve; George Soros’ Open Society Institute ($800,000 since 1999); and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation ($575,000 since 1999). The Brady Center receives much of its funding from small donors. FoundationSearch only reveals modest payments from foundations. From 2008 to 2011 the largest donation, $34,000, came from the Ladner Family Foundation. By contrast, the Brady Center’s last tax return says $2.7 million of its $3 million revenues were raised with the help of a professional consultant that specializes in online and direct mail fundraising (the Brady Center paid the consultant $96,000). In the same year, the group’s (c)(4) affiliate, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, paid the same consultant $99,000 to bring in $2.8 million of its $2.9 million revenues. . . ."

7 posted on 01/30/2016 3:24:28 AM PST by jsanders2001
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To: richardb72

I think they just make up the numbers like most liberals do. They know most people won’t fact check them and will take their word for it since they have an “official” sounding name. Plus they know if you keep spouting the same lie over and over again people will eventually accept it as the truth.


8 posted on 01/30/2016 3:32:01 AM PST by jsanders2001
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To: richardb72
That 105 number for unintentional shootings seems too high.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) final report on death statistics for 2013 shows there were 35,369 deaths from motor vehicle accidents versus 505 deaths from the accidental discharge of firearms."

It's intellectually dishonest to conflate deaths from murder, accidents and suicides. I'm most concerned with homicides, since homicide victims don't want to die.

To point out the demographics of the majority of murder victims and their killers is politically incorrect. If we subtract that demographic, the US has a homicide rate roughly the same as Norway. The gun grabbers probably don't care very much about the problem demographic, and so they inflate the numbers by adding in suicides and accidents.

9 posted on 01/30/2016 3:32:27 AM PST by Sooth2222 ("In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve." - Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859))
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To: The_Reader_David

If someone dies in the ambulance from a gunshot wound is it counted as a gun death or motor vehicle death? I know the answer but objectively it satisfies the criteria either way. I remember reading that several large cities improved their reputation by recording that if someone was beaten and robbed, it was listed as a robbery instead of assault thus lowering their violent crime stats.


10 posted on 01/30/2016 3:37:34 AM PST by EandH Dad (sleeping giants wake up REALLY grumpy)
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To: richardb72

Of the 596 deaths by suicide, how many of those people would have chosen another method if a gun was not available?


11 posted on 01/30/2016 3:46:02 AM PST by ImNotLying (The Constitution is an instrument for the people to restrain the government...Patrick Henry)
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To: ImNotLying

Suicides resulting from jumping in front of a subway train or jumping from a tall building are probably rare in Tennessee, not so in New York City.


12 posted on 01/30/2016 4:05:03 AM PST by Sooth2222 ("In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve." - Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859))
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To: richardb72

Death from an accidental fall is right up there with gun deaths and traffic deaths, but the number one accidental death is from poisoning which includes drug overdoses.


13 posted on 01/30/2016 4:11:07 AM PST by klgator
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To: ImNotLying
Of the 596 deaths by suicide, how many of those people would have chosen another method if a gun was not available?

Ask the Japanese
Their suicide rate is much higher than the USA and they can't own guns
14 posted on 01/30/2016 4:49:42 AM PST by uncbob
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To: EandH Dad

“I remember reading that several large cities improved their reputation by recording that if someone was beaten and robbed, it was listed as a robbery instead of assault thus lowering their violent crime stats.”

The Miuba Pooblik Screwl Collective did the sam thing with their school police crime reports. Because of that Saint Skittles of hte Purple Drank was not designated a criminal, allowd to develop his ‘black thugness’, and eventually had to be killed as he attempted to beat someone to death.

Actions have consequences, be they punk acts or bureaucratic acts.


15 posted on 01/30/2016 4:55:01 AM PST by GladesGuru (Islam Delenda Est. Because of what Islam is - and because of what Muslims do.)
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To: richardb72
If you're not a black or Hispanic male living in an area with a lot of other black or Hispanic males, your chances of getting shot to death are minuscule.

In my state, Wisconsin, virtually all gun-related deaths occur in Milwaukee which has one of the highest murder rates in the nation. Almost all the homicide victims are black males dead by firearms.

Outside of Milwaukee the chances of getting killed by a gun are ridiculously low despite the fact that Wisconsin has millions of guns. Lots of hunters in Wisconsin.

But since I'm not a deer hunter, my chances are lower yet. It seems about five to ten deer hunters in Wisconsin are accidentally killed by stray bullets every season. But even those numbers might be going down (I haven't checked the totals lately.)

Wisconsin recorded its lowest motor vehicle death rate ever in 2014 with 496 deaths from motor vehicles. The state homicide rate was 165 with the great majority of those homicides occurring in Milwaukee. Last year Milwaukee set a record for homicides.

16 posted on 01/30/2016 4:58:16 AM PST by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion)
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To: richardb72

“Stopping drug gangs from getting guns is about as easy as stopping them from getting drugs.”


17 posted on 01/30/2016 5:31:45 AM PST by ChessExpert (The unemployment rate was 4.5% when Democrats took control of Congress in 2006.)
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To: richardb72

Figures don’t lie but liars can figure.


18 posted on 01/30/2016 5:52:33 AM PST by fungoking (Tis a pleasure to live in the Ozarks)
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To: pepsionice; All

Actually, Suicides that use firearms are two thirds of “gun deaths”. Accidents are about 2%. The remainder are homicides, including justified homicides. Justified homicides are about 5%. Criminal homicides are about 26-27%.

That is why the disarmist are so insistent on including suicides in the mix.


19 posted on 01/30/2016 5:53:34 AM PST by marktwain
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To: pepsionice

in Tennessee, we have the Dragon. The Dragon is a curvy mountain road on the back side of the Smokies going to Fontana

I counted 22 curves per mile on one average stretch.

The Dragon is named by the bikers and they come from all over to get killed on that road


20 posted on 01/30/2016 5:59:45 AM PST by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;+12, 73, ....carson is the kinder gentler trump.)
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