Okay, how would licensing the gun owner have helped in this situation?

Exactly right, this number is WAY higher than it should be, due to poor research and twisting of results. If you read about how this study was conducted, you will see that somewhere around 80% of the purported accidental deaths were in fact suicides. That takes 43 down to 9 right there. Now if you were to account for the other problems with that statistic I listed, you will find you have a very, very low number. Just because you say so? ROFL-great argument. Sorry that real science doesn't bear the same fruit as the junk stats from your dad.

OH so that's ok then if they're suicides? We can eliminate those people from the statistic because hell, what do they matter?

How comes if someone gives you a number that you don't like you dissect it and claim its inaccuracy? If you're going to throw statistics into the forum and expect us to accept them as valid, you should at least have the dignity to do the same to those who don't agree with you.

Precisely. That is, unless you want to put restrictions and government controls on the 100's of other ways people decide to kill themselves. You can start with over the counter drugs, which account for many more deaths than guns.

I dissect all statistics given to me, both the ones I like and the ones I don't like, and I would expect (and hope) that others will do the same with any statistic I post. You should never assume a statistic is valid unless you've checked it out yourself. It's part of being educated and not believing everything you hear. I claim inaccuracy only on statistics I find inaccurate.

The statistic you posted is the kind that throws up all sorts of red flags. From the tone of your posts, I get the feeling you're pretty young. When you go to college (or if you're there already), one of the most valuable courses you can take is basic logic or critical thinking (look for it in the philosophy department). I recommend it highly. The earlier the better.

Thanks for the curriculum advice. I have actually taken Theory of Knowledge for two years already (I'm a senior in high school) and actually I do realise that some things need to be checked out so don't patronise me.

However, you still have not managed to find any evidence that the statistic I put forward is invalid. Apart from your estimation about the number that could be attributed to suicide (which by the way I find extremely offensive, because these are people, too, whether they choose to take their own life or not). I am not saying we should put restrictions on everything that can be used to commit suicide - but if we eliminate this one at least it will be a step in the right direction.

If anyone one has been reading any stats lately about the amount of gun related wounds there have been, you might be surprised with the significant decrease. For all you gun controlling freaks out there... get a gun or get over it!!!!

Demontheses

were not talking about banning guns, meerly stopping that gun getting into that lunatics hands.
your basically argueing any lunatic or terrorist should just be able to walk in and buy a gun restriction free.

The idea of having gun permits is that people would need to comply to certain regulations to acquire such a permit. Let's say you require a gun safety course for instance. This means that there are an reduced risk that the gun owner will let the gun be stored somewhere kids can get access to it. By requiring firing training and accuracy requirement (needed for hunters here in Sweden) you minimize the risk of the gun owner hitting the wrong target. We also require our hunters to prove that they know what they can shoot with what type of weapon so we would not have wounded animals in our nature. The self defence reson to own weapons is a non issue here but we got lot's of hunters.

Sounds like you're arguing that any lunatic or terrorist should be free to walk the streets, and the rest of us just have to suffer to accommodate them?

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<<Cheer up, the worst is yet to come.>>

Along with center-fire ammo, even blackpowder weapons need primers. So the libs tried to tax primers (to defeat what G-1 mentioned) at some outrageous rate. In response to that silliness, people began hording primers and ammunition - the legislation eventually fell apart. The people who you REALLY have to worry about will get guns and bullets the same way they get kilos of coke and heroin... illegally!

If the gun laws that are on the books NOW would be enforced, crime would likely be affected. But filling up the court system with grandfathers and their 1917 blackpowder shotguns is just ridiculous.