Posted on 02/22/2003 4:06:12 PM PST by groanup
Guns and Violence
Miguel A. Faria, Jr., MD
The role of gun violence and street crime in the United States and the world is currently a subject of great debate among national and international organizations, including the United Nations. Because the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the individual right of American citizens to own private firearms, availability of firearms is greater in the U.S. than the rest of the world, except perhaps in Israel and Switzerland.
The Bogeyman --- 'Easy' Gun Availability
Nevertheless, many individuals and organizations, particularly the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American public health establishment are concerned about the number of gun deaths in the U.S. --- 30,000 average deaths annually in the past decade, calling it a public health epidemic.
Moreover, public health researchers decry that violent injuries with firearms affect disproportionately older children and adolescents; tragically, up to 4000 of these deaths occur in teenagers and young adults. Yearly, suicides account for approximately 12,000 gun deaths; homicides for about 10,000 deaths; and unintentional injuries (accidental shootings) for another 5000 deaths.
(Excerpt) Read more at haciendapub.com ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.