One in Six: Why You Should Consider Being a Single Issue Voter This Election

One of the most shocking findings to me in the writing of my book was that out of ALL the preventable deaths to our kids from birth to 19, one in every six was due to a gun (1999-2007).  Let me say that again, because it is so shocking, it may take a minute to absorb. Of all the ways our kids die in accidental or preventable events (e.g., car accidents, drowning, homicide), they die by a gun 17% of the time. One out of every six deaths we can do something about is from a gun.

Most of those deaths are from homicide (see pie chart), when firearms turn out to be the weapon of choice by teen years (turns out it is much harder to kill someone using a knife, who knew?). Suicide also becomes more deadly in later teen years when youth switch from other methods to guns, which are going to be lethal nine out of ten times.

The only cause of death that even compares is motor vehicle accidents, and most of those are teen drivers (see bar chart). Drowning, fires, suffocation all come in at less than half the numbers of gun deaths.

With several important elections in VA this month highlighting the gun debates, consider what issues are more important than one in six.