sert that citizens carrying concealed guns will deter criminals from committing crimes, but I feel that the more individuals carrying concealed handguns the increase in the likelihood that someone will be injured or killed.In 1998, 16,914 people in the United Stated were killed by guns (guntruths.com). Gun violence claims more than 30,000 lives and injures another 100,000 people annually (biz.yahoo). Gun control advocates have pushed for stricter safety standards since the Columbine shootings. In 1997, more than 32,000 Americans were killed with firearms (vpc.org). 13,522 of the deaths were caused by homicides, and a total of 367 deaths were of undetermined intent (vpc.org). From the years of 1962-1994, race, sex, and age group examine the patterns of overall firearm deaths -homicide, suicide, and unintentional deaths. During this 33 year period, the total number of firearm deaths increased by 130% from 16,720 in 1962 to 38,505 in 1994 (lvrj.com). Suicide and homicide account for almost all gun deaths. As of 1994, this accounted for 94% of the deaths (lvrj.com).6Between the years of 1990 and 1994, researchers found that handguns accounted for 89% of firearm homicides and 71% of firearm suicides (vpc.org). A case-control study involving members of a Washington state HMO examined whether the purchase of a handgun from a licensed dealer is associated with the risk of homicide or suicide. The conclusion to this study is that the members of handgun-owning families were twice as likely to die in a suicide or homicide as members of the same age, sex, and neighborhood who had no history of handgun purchases. These increased risks persisted for more than five years after the purchase (vpc.org).In 1991, the percentage of firearm-related deaths increased by 60%. It is estimated that by the year 2003, firearm-related deaths will surpass deaths from motor vehicle-related injuries. In 1991, this was already the case in seven states (Cali...
