Statistics point to other conclusion

I was pleased to see honest statistics published in the Sunday Need to Know article “Gunshot deaths,” even if the flavor was still anti-gun. If we set aside suicides for a moment, in 2011 there were five homicides by firearm vs. 38 traffic deaths. So, for the record, the question asked at the beginning of the article was “Is it true more people die from traffic accidents than gun violence?” The answer for Snohomish County appears to be yes, by a big margin. So why try to make it sound like guns are the root of all evil? Probably because you don’t like guns, any guns.

Now back to those tragic suicides. Looks like there were 38 suicides by firearm in 2011. I don’t know how many suicides by other means there were, that statistic was not given. I also don’t know how many of those would have been prevented by all the new gun laws being proposed, but I suspect most of those poor souls would have found other means to their end. So if you really want to save lives, stop trying to twist the statistics, look at the numbers and do things that will make a difference. Those families of the 38 traffic deaths and the 38 suicides are grieving just as badly as the five from gun related homicides.

Curt Bry

Arlington