• Between 1980 and 2012, 300 people have been killed in gun violence in schools (Kirk, 2012).
• 100,000 people a year are shot in America (Bradycampaign.org, 2011).
• Every day, eight children are killed by guns (Bradycampaign.org, 2011).
• Nearly 3,000 kids every year will die from gun murder, suicide, accidental, death, or police intervention (Bradycampaign.org, 2011).
• Between 2000 and 2009, more than 298,000 people were killed by gunshots in the United States (Waters, 2012).
• Of the 62 mass shootings carried out in America since 1982, the killers obtained weapons weapons legally in 49 cases. Of the 142 weapons in the killers’ possession, 68 were semi-automatic weapons, and 35 were assault weapons (Follman, Aronsen, and Pan, 2012).
• Many critics will say that arming more people is the way to stop shootings. There were armed guards at Columbine, HS, but 15 people still died. In other examples where armed citizens were able to thwart an attack, most of the responders were trained police officers or armed services members (Wickman, 2012).
Gun Laws Matter 2012:
Understanding the Link Between Weak Laws and Gun Violence ©2012 smartgunlaws.org.
• A number of states have chosen to pass measures that actually make it more difficult for law enforcement, doctors, and local officials to work to reduce gun deaths and injuries.
State gun laws are critical because our federal gun laws are extremely weak and leave enormous gaps.
For example, 40% of all gun sales can be completed without background checks because federal law doesn’t require checks for firearm sales between private parties. (SmartGunLaws.org)
References
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. (October 3, 2011) Retrieved from:
http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/Facts/Gun_Death_and_Injury_Stat_Sheet_2008__2009_FINAL.pdf
Follman, Mark, Aronsen, Gavin, Pan, Deanna. (December 15, 2012).
A Guide to Mass Shootings in America. Mother Jones Online. Retrieved from:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map
Kirk, Chris, for Slate.com. (December 19, 2012).
An interactive chart of every school shooting and its death toll. Retrieved from:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/map_of_the_week/2012/12/sandy_hook_a_chart_of_all_196_fatal_school_shootings_since_1980_map.html
Waters, Rob, for Forbes.com. (December 12, 2012). Retrieved from:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robwaters/2012/12/17/gun-violence-americas-secret-health-crisis/
