Doctor's In: Gun Deaths Underplayed by Media and Politicians

Reports of 11,101 annual gun deaths refer to homicides. Included in those deaths are the “Horrifics” like Newtown, or the Aurora movie theater. However, this vastly misrepresents the total number of deaths in gun-related incidents. 

In 2011 there were a total of 31,940 people killed by guns.Homicides represented 11,101, suicides represented 19,766, gun accidents caused 851 deaths, and 222 deaths were of undetermined cause. These sobering statistics suggest that guns are simply too dangerous in the hands of the untrained, depressed, seriously mentally ill, and criminals.

Arguments against sensible gun control ring hollow when looking at the death data.When I served in the Army, no soldier got close to a weapon without appropriate classroom training in gun safety and the mechanics of the weapons.  After such training we were given our arms and spent hours taking them apart, cleaning them and putting them back together with additional safety training. 

At the firing range, the Sergeant initially gave us one bullet at a time to discharge at the target. When he was satisfied that we operated our weapon safely, he gave is one clip.  I trained on the Garand M1 rifle.  After firing the weapon on the shooting range the guns were locked up. Nobody kept a weapon in his possession except during weapons training. No soldier faced the enemy without comprehensive training on any weapon he would use including pistols, rifles, machine guns, surface to air missiles and so forth.

Again, I state firmly, no one should be able to purchase any firearm without an extensive background check. No one should be able to purchase a firearm without gun safety training. Firearms should only be purchased from authorized gun dealers. Every firearm should be registered. No clip should hold more than seven rounds, and military style weapons should be banned from the public.

Mental health needs of residents must be addressed.The refunding,and reopening of a comprehensive network of state mental health hospitals and evaluation centers will accomplish much to reduce the number of dangerously mentally ill that walk our streets today. Assuring medications and outpatient mental health services to the less seriously ill will curb sociopathic behavior responsible for terrible incidents that have become too common in America.

Should no appropriate actions be forthcoming from congress to address sensible gun control and the critical funding for mental health services, rest assured more tragedies will occur. There have already been incidents costing lives since the Newtown tragedy. Ninety U.S. residents die each day from gun incidents.