"Michael S. Lorrey" <retroman@together.net> wrote:
> I suggest you get off the major media teat. As the anti-gunners do, the
> media considers a child to be anyone under age 15. Hardly a toddler. Most
> of those 'children' between age 9 and 15 are experienced drug dealers,
> pimps, and prostitutes. There is nothing 'accidental' at all. I get my
> stats off of the national accident stats. If Florida has a problem, they
> aren't reporting it in the stats. The media can easily hype one or two
> cases up into a frenzy. Its the same sort of frenzy that got assault
> weapons banned, even though they were used in less than 1% of violent
> crimes.
>
> Also, note I said that those 31 were killed. This does not include those
> who were merely injured.
I suggest you actually read what I write before you start quoting your NRA propoganda. You have pointed out a half dozen problems with my line of reasoning, but none of your points match what I really said. You are arguing with what you expected me to say, or you are quoting your arguments from some source that was not written specifically to address my posting.
I said I see this in my own area and that's what I meant. I didn't take this from major media. I said toddler based on your limit of children <9 years old, and that's what I meant. I didn't use someone else's definition of "child" or assume that the word "child" meant under 9. I said kids playing with guns and that's what I meant. I am not talking about drug dealers, pimps and prostitutes. I said accidental shooting, and that's what I meant. I'm not including deliberate shootings in my numbers. I said two or three per year and that's what I meant. I'm not allowing the media to hype one or two cases total into a frenzy.
Please pay attention. I am not saying that I have statistics to counter your statistics. I am saying that in my community I have seen dozens of accidental shooting deaths of kids under 9. I probably have lived through more than 31 such occurances, and therefore cannot believe your claim that only 31 children under the age of 9 have been accidentally killed by firearms in the last 35 years for the entire U.S. Please provide evidence for this claim or withdraw it. And please read my posts carefully before attacking statements I never made.
-- Harvey Newstrom <http://newstaffinc.com> Author, Consultant, Engineer, Hacker, Researcher, Scientist.