Doctors vs. Gun Owners

[Ding126]

Doctors
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is
700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians
per year are
120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician
is
0.171.
Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of
Health and Human Services.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Now think about this:
Guns
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S.

is

80,000,000.

(Yes, that's 80 million)

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths
per year, all age groups,

is
1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths
per gun owner
is
.000188.
Statistics courtesy of FBI
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
So, statistically, doctors are approximately
9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN,
BUT
Almost everyone has at least one doctor.
This means you are over 900 times more likely to be killed by a doctor as a gun owner!!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Please alert your friends
to this
alarming threat.
We must ban doctors
before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Out of concern for the public at large,
I withheld the statistics on
lawyers
for fear the shock would cause
people to panic and seek medical attention from a doctor

[NiteQwill]

Too bad we can't carry a doctor on our hip.

[Someoneelseok]

Doctors KILL people?

[mikehaas]

Despite encountering it several times, I've found this spiel less than convincing since it tallys only accidental gun deaths, which are statistically insignificant. Good for preaching to the choir but IMO, the conclusion appears silly to non-gun owners because the approach appears biased and shallow. Gun owners do commit homicide for a variety of reasons and sometimes, unfortunately, infrequently, for indefensible reasons. And don't forget, antis will claim that criminals are gun-owners too.

Also, the number of deaths by medical mistakes is understated. An independant 2004 study puts it at 195,000 annually for both 2001 and 2002, not 120,000.

Years ago, I personally gathered many related stats (took quite some time) and specifically tried not to bias the results. I presented the results in a clock that displays events over time, updating the stats when I found what I thought were more reliable sources. Gun ownership comes out looking pretty good:
http://ammoguide.com/?article=lifeclock0707

[BLKSHP]

great Facts to know
Thanx for the info

[a1c]

Yeah, somehow I'm a little skeptical about those statistics. "Facts"? Not really.

And I agree: this is a weak analogy that won't convince anybody, even those in the middle. But it sure gets forwarded quickly.

[mikehaas]

One cannot relate "accidental deaths by firearms vs. accidental deaths by doctors" in any meaningful way. Is it valid for the antis to compare "intentional deaths by firearm vs. intentional death by doctor"?

Both firearms and doctors are net benefits to society. Our task is to reveal the fallacy in the antis arguments. That becomes easier when we shine the BRIGHTER light because their BS simply doesn't stand up under it. (Like their old fake "43 times" stat - they don't use that much anymore, eh? see below image)

To the pro-gun doctors out there, - I know you would never put up anything like this in your office:


In truth: Gun control activist and researcher Arthur Kellermann, M.D., found that people with home lives characterized by violence and drug use were "43 times" more likely to die from a gun in the home than use it to kill an intruder. But that proves nothing about normal people who keep guns in the home for sport or self-defense, as 84% of successful defensive uses of guns result in the criminal being scared away without a shot being fired. (Source: Criminologists Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Fall 1995)

[Ding126]

Its a twist on stat's..ya know tongue & cheek...a joke, humor.

[localguy]

Let's avoid doctors altogether, doctors are bad!

[eccvets]

jesus christ your so late to the party! repost from like 1997!

[five.five-six]

anyone else notice the inherent racism in this pamphlet?

In truth: Gun control activist and researcher Arthur Kellermann, M.D., found that people with home lives characterized by violence and drug use were "43 times" more likely to die from a gun in the home than use it to kill an intruder. But that proves nothing about normal people who keep guns in the home for sport or self-defense, as 84% of successful defensive uses of guns result in the criminal being scared away without a shot being fired. (Source: Criminologists Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Fall 1995)

[THT]

Oh dear, I'm married to a doctor...do I need a special permit for this??

[Shotgun Man]

anyone else notice the inherent racism in this pamphlet?

It was lost on me. Where?

[Big Jake]

I just took my two boys (ages 9 and 12) for their annual physicals last month. At the end of the exam the doctor talked with me and went over the results.

All is well with them physically. The doctor then went on and asked a serious of questions off of a questionnaire from the American Pediatrics Association.

Besides the obvious questions such as how they are doing in school, if they are involved in sports, etc? was another question, which surprised me. "Do You Keep Guns In The House?"

I answered that I did and that I was a responsible gun owner who did not allow my children access to my firearms unless under my direct supervision. I further went on to say that I take my sons shooting on a regular basis.

The doctor told me that the A P A reccomends that guns not be in the home where children could access them.

Without getting into an explanation of why I had them, etc. I respectfully informed the doctor that this was not an issue related to my childrens health and I, theirfore, decline to discuss it further.

He then dropped the subject and went on to other questions, however, I could tell that he wanted to "school me" on the subject of firearms and children.

Physicians are experts on many things, which is why we seek them out, however, most physicians are not experts on firearms and I was not interested in his opinion on the subject.

Just thought I'd share!