The toll taken by guns in America is enormous:
30,000 dead every year.
60,000 to 100,000 permanently injured every year.
$2-4 billion in health care costs annually.
$100 billion in lost productivity and indirect costs
A society fixated on crime and the fear of crime.
Isn’t it time the tragedy of gun violence in America stopped?
You’d be surprised by what most people don’t know.
Your friends probably don’t know how many people are really killed and injured by guns. It’s hard to imagine… twelve young people 19 and under are shot to death, on average, every day of the week. In a year, the number who die from guns would populate a small city.
Your colleagues probably don’t know that most gun deaths are not even crime-related; over half are actually suicides, and many of these can be prevented.
You may not even realize that guns are not regulated for simple safety measures like other consumer products are, like cars, pharmaceuticals, foods and even toys. That’s because guns have been exempted from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s oversight. And, nobody else is doing the job of making sure that this inherently dangerous product is well-made, has standard safety features, and is sold only through reputable channels to responsible people.
And, most people aren’t aware that, according to the US Supreme Court, we can regulate guns for safety without infringing on the Second Amendment.
So, take a step toward safety. Learn about this issue, talk to your friends, and join or create local groups. Vote, register others to vote. Call your elected officials and candidates. Get active, get going, get the word OUT!
- Recent US surveys show that the majority of Americans support a range of policies that would reduce gun deaths. These include:
- limiting sales to one handgun per month (supported by 81% of all respondents including half of gun owners surveyed);
- mandatory registration of handguns (82% and 72%, respectively); background checks for private handgun sales (77% and 72%, respectively)
- tamper resistant serial numbers on handguns (90% and 85%,
respectively).
Since the 1990’s, gun violence has consistently rated among American’s “top ten” worries for both adults and youth. Adults are fearful of being alone in parking garages and in downtown areas or public parks at night. Teens are exquisitely aware of guns, perhaps because today boys age 15 and older are more likely to die from guns than drunken driving, accidents or any other cause. Fear permeates to grade school. According to a Weekly Reader survey, even fourth graders report that their biggest fear is that a gun might hurt them or their family.
Isn’t it time the tragedy of gun violence stopped?
Kids and Guns
Things You Should Know