Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Prof. David Hemenway Speaks about Kids and Guns

Link to video

The combination of children and guns in the same household contributed to a steady rise in gunshot wounds and deaths in children, according to a review of national data over a 12-year period. 

The number of children hospitalized for gunshot wounds increased from 4,270 in 1997 to 7,730 in 2009. In-hospital deaths among pediatric gunshot patients increased from 317 to 503 over the same period. 

Among gunshot wounds with known incident locations, 40% of the wounds occurred in the child's home. The data showed a significant association between gunshot wounds to children and the presence of one or more guns in the household.

"Significant association?"  Is that like correlation?

11 comments:

  1. I think we already discussed this study a few days ago and how it seems to contradict data collected by the CDC.
    http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/2013/10/us-child-gun-deaths-rose-60-in-10-years.html

    "During that period, hospitalizations of kids and teens aged 20 and younger from gunshot wounds jumped from 4,270 to 7,730. Firearm deaths of children logged by hospitals rose from 317 in 1997 to 503 in 2009, records showed."

    Its remarkable how those adults who are aged 18-20 get relabeled as teens, and then children in the same article. If you use CDC data, and only include real children, as in ages 0 to 17, firearm deaths range from 2284 in 1997 to 1337 in 2010. Looks like a decrease to me.
    And strangely enough, when you do include the 18-20 year olds, the numbers from the CDC are 5207 in 1997 and falls to 3459 in 2010. Still a decrease.

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    1. He mentioned the problem with the CDC data. In other words, this survey is more exhaustive and provides more reliable results.

      He also said it was about kids from 1 to 17.

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  2. There is always a correlation when you put the same variable on both sides of the equation. Correlating guns to "gun deaths"- whoop-dee-doo. It's a pointless exercise. It's correlating guns to murder that doesn't exist.

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  3. Amazing the pro gun crowd's response is saying that your numbers are incorrect, when their own numbers clearly show a problem. They simply don't care about children dying from gun shot.

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    Replies
    1. You're right. The gun nuts care only about their own convenience.

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    2. No, we care about basic rights, and we know that your proposals won't solve the problem that you claim to care about.

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    3. Where are your proposals to curtail a problem that your numbers clearly show is a problem?

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    4. Continuing to teach gun safety is bringing down the rate of accidental gun deaths. That's a sufficient answer, given the need to preserve liberty and the low numbers of accidents.

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    5. Gun shot deaths are on the rise, so I guess your safety courses are not working so well.

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    6. "Steve," do you expect me to accept your unsubstantiated claim about an undifferentiated category?

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    7. I expect you to stand by what you say.

      "Continuing to teach gun safety is bringing down the rate of accidental gun deaths. That's a sufficient answer, given the need to preserve liberty and the low numbers of accidents."

      The evidence does not support your claim.

      Delete