t even come close. Accidental gun deaths ranked under every other category (motor vehicles, falls, poisoning by solids or liquids, drowning, fires and burns, and suffocation by swallowing an object) except for one; poisoning by gases or vapors. The closest accidental death to guns was suffocation by swallowing an object, which was still over twice the rate of guns at 3,300 deaths. (National Safety Council).As far as overall gun violence is concerned, according to the FBI’s 1998 Uniform Crime Reports, the overall violent crime rate in the US decreased about 7%. Robbery alone declined by 11%, the lowest since 1969. In addition, murder dropped by 7%, the lowest since 1967. More significantly, despite the fact the number of firearms and handguns owned by individual Americans continued to increase from 1997-1998, the FBI also reported the rate of firearms used to commit murder and robberies decreased in 1998. (1998 Uniform Crime Reports). These facts conclusively prove that firearms owned by peaceable citizens do not lead to increased murder or violent crime rates. In fact, they demonstrate that armed citizens lead to reduced rates of violent crime. When the gun is in the hands of a well-rounded person, it is no more of a weapon than your every day curling iron. On the other hand, in 1988, handguns killed 7 people in Great Britain, 19 in Sweden, 53 in Switzerland, 25 in Israel, 13 in Australia, 8 in Canada, and 8,915 in the United States. These figures are shocking. One of the most alarming issues dealing with gun control is juvenile violence. A large percentage of crimes committed with guns are by children. No one has yet been able to pinpoint the exact reason children committed such a terrible crime. Many experts feel risk factors associated with juvenile crime are poverty, repeated exposure to violence, drugs, easy access to firearms, and an unstable family life. All of these issues play a big role in the increase of...
