Letter: Numbers suggest that gun laws have made a difference

Published: Sunday, Dec. 30 2012 12:00 a.m. MST

Some of the weapons collected in Wednesday's Los Angeles Gun Buyback event are showcased Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012 during a news conference at the LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles.

Associated Press

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In the 1980s we were losing more than 200 children between 5 and 14 years old annually due to the accidental discharge of firearms. Then came the 1990 Gun-Free School Zone Act before the 1998 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Laws requiring trigger locks followed in 1999.

In that decade, gun-related deaths dropped to as low as 76 per year. We have averaged 46 per year since. For 5- to 9-year-old children — those similar to the ages of Sandy Hook Elementary — the averages before, during and after these spans of time were 164, 125 and 29, respectively.

I understand that this correlation with gun-control laws doesn't prove cause and effect, but how else might we account for this big improvement?

John Clark

Payson

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JoeBlow

Far East USA, SC

Unless it is something like a drive by shooting, kids 5-9 killed by guns suggests that SOME so called "responsible" gun owners are anything but "responsible"

Hiding your loaded guns is not sufficient. They MUST be locked More..

6:31 a.m. Dec. 30, 2012
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Mountanman

Hayden, ID

As important as it is to keep children away from firearms, it needs to be pointed out that gun accidents are not even in the top 20 reasons children lose their lives. According to the National Health Institute, more children are killing in car More..

8:00 a.m. Dec. 30, 2012
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Truthseeker

SLO, CA

Re:Mountanman

Figures from the CDC:

Homicide is in the top 10 causes of death for people ages 1-44.

For people ages 5-44, firearms are in the top 4 cause of death caused by injuries.

Nearly 4000 (3889) More..

10:19 a.m. Dec. 30, 2012
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