The 1993 research paper by Arthur Kellerman et al, “Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home” concluded that having firearms in the home increased the risk of homicide in that home. Guns, it turns out, do not provide protection, but rather increase risk.
That research was funded by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention. The NRA pressed Congress, and almost succeed, to close the Center for Injury Prevention in order that such inconvenient research never be done again. That effort was not successful, but US Representative Jay Dickey (Republican, AR) got an amendment added to a 1997 Omnibus Appropriations Bill stating that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”
It would still have been possible for federal efforts to be put into gun violence research, but the NRA controlled Congress sent a strong message along with the amendment. They isolated $2.6 million dollars of CDC money, which happens to be the same amount that had been spent the previous year on gun related research, and earmarked it for an entirely different purpose. The message was read clearly by Federal employees as a threat against anyone who supported, approved funding for, or carried out research that would annoy the NRA.
Despite these efforts to repress knowledge and research about guns, we do know something about guns. For example, according to Wikipedia,
According to the FBI, in 2012, there were 8,855 total firearm-related homicides in the US, with 6,371 of those attributed to handguns. 61% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. are suicides. In 2010, there were 19,392 firearm-related suicides, and 11,078 firearm-related homicides in the U.S.
The suicide number is astonishing, and is really the biggest problem. Here’s the thing. Youth (up to age 25) who attempt suicide but get help generally get past that problem and do not end up ever killing themselves. Those who attempt suicide by any means other than using a gun have a very high chance of failure. Those are the individuals who survive their attempt, get help, and long term, live. Those who attempt suicide using a gun generally die. They get no help. A large percentage of the time (but only roughly estimated because of the lack of research) the gun is a handgun owned by an adult in the same home, and that handgun is generally not properly secured.
The several hundred (roughly once a day) instances in which a gun is accidentally discharged and wounds or kills someone, including “accidentally” shooting a relative or house mate thinking they are an intruder, are also generally associated with improperly secured and handled firearms.
So, a good number of gun suicides, and a good number of accidental shootings (many fatal), could be prevented with reasonable regulation on handling guns.
We are currently having a national conversation about whether or not people known to be engaged in domestic abuse and violence, or known or strongly suspected to be likely to carry out significant acts of violence (such as a terrorist act, mass shooting, etc.) should have the same gun ownership rights as everyone else.
These are all things you know, and all things that concern you and all things you want to see something done about.
One step in doing something about this is to contact your representatives in Congress and tell them that they have to do the right thing. So, do that.
Meanwhile, to help with this in the future, there is now an interesting smart phone app being developed that helps with this, and the people who are doing this work sent me some information on it.
Watch this:
This is a Kicksarter Project, and you may want to donate to it. Click here to see the Kickstarter Page.
The app will be produced for both iPhones and Android phones. Also, you can use it to contact your reps for any issue, but this version of the app also provides suggested verbiage for the gun issue in particular. The developers told me that they plan to include other issues in the future, should they get this project off the ground.
This is the web site of the Dickey Picks project.
There is, of course, research on gun violence, just not enough and not very current. You may find the following resources helpful:
The 1993 research paper by Arthur Kellerman et al, “Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home” concluded that having firearms in the home increased the risk of homicide in that home. Guns, it turns out, do not provide protection, but rather increase risk.
That research was funded by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention. The NRA pressed Congress, and almost succeed, to close the Center for Injury Prevention in order that such inconvenient research never be done again. That effort was not successful, but US Representative Jay Dickey (Republican, AR) got an amendment added to a 1997 Omnibus Appropriations Bill stating that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”
It would still have been possible for federal efforts to be put into gun violence research, but the NRA controlled Congress sent a strong message along with the amendment. They isolated $2.6 million dollars of CDC money, which happens to be the same amount that had been spent the previous year on gun related research, and earmarked it for an entirely different purpose. The message was read clearly by Federal employees as a threat against anyone who supported, approved funding for, or carried out research that would annoy the NRA.
Despite these efforts to repress knowledge and research about guns, we do know something about guns. For example, according to Wikipedia,
According to the FBI, in 2012, there were 8,855 total firearm-related homicides in the US, with 6,371 of those attributed to handguns. 61% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. are suicides. In 2010, there were 19,392 firearm-related suicides, and 11,078 firearm-related homicides in the U.S.
The suicide number is astonishing, and is really the biggest problem. Here’s the thing. Youth (up to age 25) who attempt suicide but get help generally get past that problem and do not end up ever killing themselves. Those who attempt suicide by any means other than using a gun have a very high chance of failure. Those are the individuals who survive their attempt, get help, and long term, live. Those who attempt suicide using a gun generally die. They get no help. A large percentage of the time (but only roughly estimated because of the lack of research) the gun is a handgun owned by an adult in the same home, and that handgun is generally not properly secured.
The several hundred (roughly once a day) instances in which a gun is accidentally discharged and wounds or kills someone, including “accidentally” shooting a relative or house mate thinking they are an intruder, are also generally associated with improperly secured and handled firearms.
So, a good number of gun suicides, and a good number of accidental shootings (many fatal), could be prevented with reasonable regulation on handling guns.
We are currently having a national conversation about whether or not people known to be engaged in domestic abuse and violence, or known or strongly suspected to be likely to carry out significant acts of violence (such as a terrorist act, mass shooting, etc.) should have the same gun ownership rights as everyone else.
These are all things you know, and all things that concern you and all things you want to see something done about.
One step in doing something about this is to contact your representatives in Congress and tell them that they have to do the right thing. So, do that.
Meanwhile, to help with this in the future, there is now an interesting smart phone app being developed that helps with this, and the people who are doing this work sent me some information on it.
Watch this:
This is a Kicksarter Project, and you may want to donate to it. Click here to see the Kickstarter Page.
The app will be produced for both iPhones and Android phones. Also, you can use it to contact your reps for any issue, but this version of the app also provides suggested verbiage for the gun issue in particular. The developers told me that they plan to include other issues in the future, should they get this project off the ground.
This is the web site of the Dickey Picks project.
There is, of course, research on gun violence, just not enough and not very current. You may find the following resources helpful:
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