Capitol Hill Blue Forums Life and Moral Issues Matters of culture Intentional Deaths and Causes

I thought that the following information would help us all to know "a little bit more" about "intentional deaths and causes of those deaths" in a statistical way. It reflects 2011 statistics

I think that the numbers shown related to each form of death are important in terms of making general type arguments regarding social behaviors that result in death. I just don't know how people will actually understand these types of deaths without more data and facts related to circumstance. We can't seem to take the right steps to create types of prevention that might be more successful than the ones already in place.



The image is probably too small to read each statistic...so you might try going to the source ON PAGE 19 - Table 2

Some examples of the numbers:

Nearly 20,000 people have used a fire arm to commit suicide as opposed to just over "11,000" people murdered by "people" using a fire arm.

Drug related deaths are listed at around 40,000.

Alcohol deaths ran over 26,000.

And so on.

[size:11pt][b]National Vital Statistics L[/size]ink[/b]


I hope that you find these statistics interesting. I guess you'll have to try and draw your own conclusion...if there are any to be drawn.

Are we as a society...and is our scientific communities...really doing all we can do to create more effect types of prevention...besides imprisoning people?

"Nearly 20,000 people have used a fire arm to commit suicide as opposed to just over 15,000 people murdered by a fire arm."

Actually, the number of homicides with a firearm (not committed by a firearm since guns don't kill people, people with guns kill people) was 11,101, not "just over 15,000." Still 11,101 too high, but certainly a third less than what you implied.

Ah...sorry for the posting era..

Thanks..

So... 11,101 murders by firearms, 19,766 suicides, 222 "undetermined intent" and 851 by "accidental discharge" of a firearm, and an additional 32,163 injuries by firearms. As opposed to 34,677 deaths by motor vehicle accidents. Only 26,256 "alcohol induced" deaths, but 40,239 drug induced deaths. Interesting that it is almost 50/50 injury/death by firearm.

Dunno, NWP...let's see

By my Calculator

Incidents related to firearms used by persons in self-inflict or inflict on others...

11101 murders by "persons" using firearms
19766 suicides by "persons" using firearms
222 undetermined intent by persons using firearms
851 accidental discharge of firearms
32163 injuries caused by persons using firearms

There were 64,103 incidents involving a firearm

Non-firearm related incidents

34677 vehicle accidents
26256 alcohol induced
40239 drug induced

There were 101172 incidents that were not firearm related

So not sure about the 50/50 calculation that you've stated? Did I miss a number in the firearms related list? Or am I misunderstanding your 50/50 comparison?

What's most interesting to me is, for example, within the drug induced category, how many people died from bad reactions to prescribed drugs, etc. In firearm related deaths, I don't see a category that says deaths by persons using firearms that involved self-defense, or deaths that resulted from law enforcement using lethal force...etc.

And I'm wondering how many of the vehicle deaths...were related to alcohol intoxication/mind altering drug use involving at least one driver.

I think that in order for common everyday folks to be educated about statistics related to deaths that fall out of the category of "natural"...we just aren't getting the types of data necessary to understand and address our concerns in a truly informed way.

I'm not saying that if people were hardcore determined to get the type of breakdown data to acquire such information, that such data isn't available somewhere. It's more like people don't seek that information as a rule because they are given general statistic numbers like we've posted. And they just take the numbers without really knowing what they truly involve or mean.

With that said. Until we really understand the impetus and dynamics within these numbers, it's not going to lead to genuinely understanding what the true problems are.

Unless we clearly define a problem, we can't devise a solution.

I quite agree with your sentiment, Austin, that it is hard to make the statistics meaningful. I also agree that my musing about 50/50 was confusing. What I was trying to say was that (assuming they are mutually exclusive categories) firearms are relatively efficient in creating fatalities. So, put another way, in approximately half of the reported incidents (knowing that there are a hell of a lot of unreported ones), a firearm succeeds in killing the victim, rather than just injuring them. Or, that if one is shot by a firearm, the chance of surviving is approximately 50/50.

There is, of course, a specific reason why it is so difficult to get fidelity from these particular statistics, and that is the routine practice of Congress in prohibiting public access to firearm-related information. On behalf of the firearm manufacturers, Congressional lackeys insert riders prohibiting research on gun violence. (How the Government Stifled Gun Research; Silencing the Science on Gun Research)

From the latter article:

Exactly, NWP...that's exactly what I was referring to. We have to have access to the appropriate information in order to understand and define problems so that we can formulate interventions that have a positive impact. I choose to believe that we can achieve ways to substantially reduce gun deaths and injuries, without infringing one the right to bear arms...once we have detailed facts.

Thanks...