Putting mass shooting deaths in perspective

[tagryn]

According to the CDC, there are ~2.5 million deaths in the U.S. annually. In 2012, 151 of those deaths were due to mass shooters, or 0.00006% of all deaths or 0.009% of all homicides. So this rates as a major issue requiring large-scale deployment of resources and training...why again, exactly? The odds of being killed by lightning are about the same as that of falling victim to a mass shooter, yet we aren't talking about mass deployment of lightning rods across the nation.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Tom,
Merry Christmas!

You and I read each other's posts from time to time over on Stacy Horn's blog.

I wanted to say hello, because your posts are always relevant, cogent, and intelligent. Obviously, we are more or less in agreement on the gun issue, and I am, in fact, a gun owner and NRA member here in Texas.

I'm afraid the cosmopolitan New York urban dweller simply does not realize that to be against gun ownership in many parts of the united States would be like a Japanese being against rice.

So thank you for your posts, and I guess I'll have to start dropping by your site on a regular basis. I hope you have a great holiday season.

Greg