Now to debunk the

NRA-propagated myth that "firearms are used by

lawful citizens to prevent crimes and save lives 2.5

million times a year": A paper by Dr. David Hemenway

in The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology

concludes that the survey methodology used by Kleck and

Gertz, who published this estimate, was severely flawed

and that their estimate is highly exaggerated. If the

same methodology were used on a Washington Post survey

about belief in extraterrestrials, it would mean that

more than a million Americans have met space aliens.

Some other down-to-earth

facts to consider (e-mail me for sources):

Most homicides do not occur

as the result of an attack by a stranger, crazy or not,

but stem from an argument between people who know each

other and are often related.

If you own a gun, you're

more likely to have it stolen by a criminal than to use

it to protect yourself or your property.

More gun deaths in America

are the result of suicide (20,540 for 1994) than from

murder (15,456 for 1994). Only about 10 percent of

suicides by firearms are committed with firearms

purchased specifically for the act.

For every time a citizen

used a firearm in 1995 in a justifiable homicide, 131

lives were ended in firearm murders, suicides, and

unintentional shootings.

It's true that some

people's lives have been protected by citizens' use of

firearms in self-defense. But if you want to talk about

things that carry risk while also having value, many

medications which may be helpful to some are not

available to consumers because they pose a high health

risk to others.

Would you say that people's

rights are violated when they're denied access to

medicines that are sure to help some, but are also likely

to hurt many more? Even legal medicines require a

prescription before their purchase from a trained,

licensed third party to prevent their misuse. (By the

way, Mr. Bee, we need food to live and cars for

transportation. Handguns are not needed in everyday life

and are, in fact, useful only for the same reason they're

dangerous: They are lethal weapons.)

I'm grateful that Mr. Bee

recognizes that my intentions are well meaning. In the

same way, I'm sure he truly believes he is doing the

right thing to protect his family and community by

carrying a handgun.

Responsible gun-owners must

acknowledge, however, not only the irrefutable risks to

themselves and others caused by gun-ownership, but also

the danger of falsely proclaiming that a gun-carrying

society is a safe society. You can bet that gun

manufacturers (whose intentions are most certainly not so

pure) put their money behind this message and hope this

mentality continues to increase business in firearm and

ammunition sales ($2 billion worth in 1994, wholesale.)

I, unfortunately, will

receive nothing for speaking out on this matter, except

perhaps some potshots from Fayette County's pro-gun

majority! Well, I suppose if there is to be a shoot-out,

I'd much rather it be on editorial pages than with guns.

The people in my sights are the ones who may end up

choosing to put down their weapons, making this society

truly safer for all.

Melissa Hamilton

Peachtree City

[email protected]

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