Posted on 11/01/2004 12:49:57 PM PST by JFK_Lib
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A study has found that air rifles, paintball pistols and BB guns injure as many as 21,000 Americans each year, undermining the notion that such weapons are harmless in the hands of young people. Nonpowder guns kill an average of four Americans yearly, and from 1990 to 2000, there were 39 such deaths -- 32 of children younger than 15, according to a report in November's issue of Pediatrics. The report, published Monday, comes just two weeks after the BB gun death of an 8-year-old South Carolina boy accidentally killed by a 13-year-old friend. The pellet pierced the boy's heart, said Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Elect Kerry and live happily ever after?
when i was in insurance defense, to be fair, there were numerous injury to eye suits from paintball establishments.
Air rifles are a rite of passage for young boys. As a gift from parents it denotes a certain trust in the boy by the parents. It also signifies responsibility, that the boy will be responsible terrorizing only tin cans as only an air rifle can.
It assists the boy in learning basic rifle safety and marksmanship skills. It gets the kid outdoors and away from neeentendo. It also brings a father and son together as little else can.
In respect for the Viking Kitties I will not mention what I use my air rifle for.
Is that Mercedes Beng drinking or good, old-fashioned booze?
Has anyone ever done a study on how many kids get hurt from "stick guns?" ....Good grief...
so do bicycles. why not take them away, too?
and air heads
"Nonpowder guns kill an average of four Americans yearly"
This will turn into "Nonpowder guns kill an average of forty American children daily" by the time it has gone through a few translations.
This reminds me of what my friends and I played in High School. BB Wars! We played poor man's paintball. Facemasks, gloves, heavy jackets, pants, and single-pump bb guns. Talk about adreneline. It definetly was not the smartest thing we have ever done, but man it was exciting.
We both know that the definition is kept as "loose" as possible so that the largest possible number of "injuries" become reportable... This is always the case when the liberals are trying to prove a point about the latest social cause.
Cute, little Ralphie Kerry coming down the stairs to see if he has coal in his stocking or a goodie!
It is indeed a mark of responsibility and trust for a young person to have a powerful tool like a gun (air or otherwise). It would appear that confidence and competence are the last things the libs want young men to have.
I would love to see the figures on this one!
Nanny state and controlling twits get together...
Parents are the best judges of their children's maturity. We all need to make those tough choices, and when we make a mistake, it defines the adult when he decides to deny other parents the choice because he couldn't hack it.
Of course. It was meant as a rhetorical question.
Oh, I've gotta have one of those! My ancient "M-19A Annihilator" (Freon-powered BB subgun) is long overdue for replacement. :-)
I got a Benjamin pellet gun when I was 10. The more you pumped it, the more powerful it was. As a small 10 year old I needed all the leverage I could get to pump it up. Several times, my right ear ended up a bloody pulp from catching it in the pump mechanism. I guess I'm part of this statistic.
The Marines at Camp Pendelton used to do the same thing to practice infantry assault tactics. It was cheaper than using MILES gear (laser devices used at the NTC) and less messy than paintball. At least some thought that it worked pretty well for squad level tactics.
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