However, it is completely false. In 1997, 692 children under the age of 14 died of gun related assault, suicide, and accident (Second Amendment Stuff). This brings the daily average to 1.7 firearm-related fatalities among children, which is nowhere near 13. Even if all persons under the age of 20 are counted, the daily average is still only 11.5 (Second Amendment Stuff). This proves that when guns are compared to other objects or activities, they are relatively safe.
Furthermore, guns account for only a small percentage of accidental deaths in America. The statistics are as follows: Motor vehicles, 43,200 deaths; falls, 14,900 deaths; poisoning by solids or liquids, 8,600 deaths; drowning, 4,000 deaths; fires, 3,700 deaths; suffocation by swallowing object, 3,300 deaths; firearms-related, 1,500 deaths; poisoning by gases and vapors, 700 deaths; and all other causes, 13,900 deaths. (National Safety Council's 1998 Accident Facts) This means that accidental gun deaths only account for about 1.6% of annual accidental deaths. .
Secondly, criminals are afraid of armed citizens, and they have reason to be since 34% of felons have been scared off, shot at, or wounded by an armed civilian (Opposing Viewpoints p.13). A survey conducted by James D. Wright and Peter H. Rossi showed that 57% of "handgun predators" have encountered armed citizens (LaPierre p.11). Another 69% of criminals at least know someone who has encountered an armed citizen (LaPierre p.15). Also, burglars who enter an armed household are twice as likely to be killed than apprehended and convicted (LaPierre p.15). These actions are legal seeing that there are no laws prohibiting self-defense (LaPierre p. 14). Wright and Rossi also discovered some other interesting facts in their survey. They found that 81% of criminals would find out if a "victim" is armed before an attack (LaPierre p.14). 74% of burglars avoid occupied dwellings for fear of being shot (LaPierre p.
