Eighty One Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Six

The world’s one remaining superpower has the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous. America has a gun fantasy, a dream built on death and destruction. In America, you are more likely to be a victim of gun violence than in any of the other developed countries.

You are twenty times more likely to be killed by a gun in the United States than in Spain, France, or Switzerland. Or Finland, Norway, Syria, Turkey or any of the other OECD countries. 20 times more likely to be killed by a gun. It bears repeating: Twenty times more likely to be killed by a gun, in the United States of America. Only motor vehicle accidents overshadow this figure, and not by much.
Why?

In 2010, homicide/suicide by gun was the 2nd largest cause of death in the United States. Are we, are you, proud of this figure?
I am not. But, sadly, it gets worse. Much worse, in fact.

In 2012, 81,396 Americans were injured in firearm-related accidents. Injured, not killed. Nationally, 25.93 percent of the injuries treated in ERs were gun-related. More than ¼ of our ER injury incidents are firearm related. Eighty one thousand, three hundred ninety six; were any of them your friends or neighbors? And, this has a cost, a cost you and I are paying.

Dead people do not use hospitals. But, the wounded do. They do, to the incredible amount of $632,000,000 in 2010. No misprint, there: six hundred thirty two MILLION dollars in ER/hospitalization was spent in 2010 for gun-related injuries. In America, the land of the free, and the home of the brave. $632,000,000.

Who pays for this 632 million dollars? Well, you and I do. 52%-327 million dollars- was paid by Medicaid. Our government insurance program for the poor paid for 52% of the gun related injuries in America. What could we do with 327 million for education, or to feed the poor?

Guns are big business, make no mistake about that. The firearm industry in the United States has 233,000 employees, more than GM has worldwide. The ancillary business -not the sale of firearms- accounts for $32,000,000 dollars in business annually. The gun business is good (?) for the American economy.
America manufactures 6.5 MILLION guns (non-military) each year, and if that was not enough, we import 3.5 million from other countries.
Why?
The trend is not in hunting rifles, that has fallen 20% over the last 10 years. We are buying assault weapons, pistols, and shotguns.
Why? What, or who, makes us so paranoid?

It is time, America, to deal with this issue. This is not a Second Amendment issue, this is a social disaster. It is not about your right to bear arms, it is about 81,396 of your friends and neighbors. It is about $632,000,000 in hospital costs; costs fueled by guns. It is time, past time, for America to sit down, discuss, and then work to solve the issues that fuel gun violence; poverty, discrimination, drug trade and the stigma of mental health issues. It is time to roll up our sleeves and go to work. America put a man on the moon in 10 years, can we not donate 10 years to solve our firearm violence problem? Are we so beholden to the gun industry, to the NRA, that we cannot overcome this problem?

Let’s talk, America; let us put the guns down and get to work.

Disclaimer: I own two sport rifles, locked up in a gun cabinet.
Second disclaimer: This article does not include bb/pellet gun injuries.

As always, I appreciate your views, and your discussion. Please post your comments, let us have a discussion.

Sources, not in any particular order:
CDC http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2001.html on jan 16 2014

Data Source: NEISS All Injury Program operated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for numbers of injuries. Bureau of Census for population estimates.

Urban institute. http://www.urban.org/publications/412894.html
article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/taxpayers-gun-violence_n_3915434.html

United Nations: Source http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.htmlus

Source: http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/Self-Reported-Gun-Ownership-Highest-1993.aspx

CDC http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/10lcid_unintentional_deaths_2010-a.pdf

Source: ATF