I have no idea if these stats are accurate. However, it's important to do a fair comparison. The stats are comparing "accidental deaths caused by 700,000 physicians per year" to "accidental deaths caused by 80,000,000 gun owners per year". It has nothing to do with firearm deaths by homicide or suicide anymore than patient deaths resulting from the doctor's car, doctor's wife, etc. These outside factors although real, are not part of this comparison.

It's understood that statistics can be manipulated to convey the desired result. But if these numbers are real, one cannot deny they are alarming. The intent of the comparison is clear. To show how ridiculous it is to blame guns on firearm related deaths. As mentioned above, guns are simply a tool and in the right hands no more dangerous than a baseball bat or claw hammer. For their comparison they could of course used automobiles, cigarettes, or bathtubs but instead sensationalized the comparsion by choosing doctors because most of us feel that visiting the doc is a "safe thing". Just my thoughts.

RM

[ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: RiverMan ]