Charles L. Cotton wrote:
I don't know what statistics you reference because there's certainly none that indicate firearms are a threat to public health. The bill deals with asking about firearms in the home and how they are stored. That clearly applies to accidental deaths. Accidental death by firearm rates very low in the
top 10 causes of death in 2012. There were 164,819 violent deaths and only 22 were caused by firearms. Choking, drowning, poisoning, suffocation, fire/burns, all cause far more deaths, yet we don't see pediatricians and other specialties asking about those items, objects or activities. If a doctor or medical association cares about saving lives rather than achieving a political goal, then they would be asking about the things that are killing the most people, not the items that cause the fewest deaths. There are no statistics that support even voluntarily asking questions about guns.
First, I appreciate the civil discussion and appreciate that we're not confusing my person opinion on the issues with what I understand about the statistics. I consider them to be separate. To discuss an issue, I prefer to talk about both sides, as it helps me support my positions and improve my understanding. Not everyone on this forum is can engage in that manner.
Looking at the issue of preventing deaths with the statistical glasses on via the chart you provided, I agree that the AMA and Pediatricians should apply more focus elsewhere. In fact, based on the stats you posted, "unintentional firearm" only shows up in the top ten in a single age range (10-14). That would indicate that focus is best spent elsewhere if it's about patients livelihoods and not politics.. Or at best, that focus is appropriately applied AFTER the other more substantial causes are addressed.
Pediatricians, in my personal experience, do ask about some of those other causes. But that's just my experience.
There is, of course, what I call the "TSA factor" - somehow people are manipulated into focusing massive resources on a problem that statistically benefits society very little at massive cost scale. It's about fear and feel-good. Maybe that's part of it.
I looked at what the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has to say on it: literally, "Although rates have declined since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued the original policy statement in 1992, firearm-related deaths continue as 1 of the top 3 causes of death in American youth..." Cite:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/c ... e1416.full" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - that doesn't address accidental, but it addresses total... Those causes largely seem to be homicide and suicide. And there we have a basis (details) for much manipulation and spin.
Things that both cites agree on:
* It's becoming less and less of a problem, it's decreased by 50% in the last 15 years
* The number one cause of firearm deaths in youth is homicide (crime).
I don't necessarily see causality between a firearm being in a home and homicide. You could claim causality in some of the school shooting incidents where those firearms came from the home, but personally, I'm not convinced that they wouldn't have been acquired elsewhere. Reading between the lines, maybe they (AAP) are suggesting that if all guns were gone, firearm related deaths would go down - and there you have a basis for many of the prior posts. I don't read that directly, but it has me thinking about it.
One thing that I take issue with posted by the AAP:
"...but firearm safety education programs directed at children are ineffective..." - I'd like to know the basis for that. The AAP didn't provide one.
I don't think there is any harm in Pediatricians telling parents to lock up their guns, especially after the sort of stuff I see on the internet. And I have concerns about limiting the free speech of doctors, even if they are on the other side of the political fence on some issues. However, as soon as we're talking about keeping records of gun ownership, I'm a bit more concerned with what is being done with that data.
and that is it in a nutshell. It is none of the government's business whether I have any firearms or not nor what type or how many if I do. All bets are off if I commit a crime with one.
