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Children
Killed in Maryland Homicides Philip
F. Lee, PhD, http://www.mcrkba.org/MarylandChildrenHomicide.html, Rev. 7/10/06 MAHA
(now CeaseFire) and Brady related organizations (e.g., the Violence Policy Center)
have pointed to the murder of children with firearms as justification for
banning guns in Maryland. However, government data show less than
one-third of children 14 and younger killed in Maryland homicides were killed with
firearms over the period 1981 to 2003.
In Table 1 we show deaths involving firearms by year and Table 2 shows
non-firearm deaths obtained from the CDC at: 1981-1998
and
1999-later.
Twice the number of children
appearing in Table 1) were beaten, stabbed, drowned, poisoned or killed in
other ways (many by their parents) as seen by Table 2). Also, by including minors up to
age 17 in their data, the MAHA and Brady groups have added deaths of young people who have
graduated from childhood into high-risk adult criminal activities. It is puzzling why these
organizations have so little concern for the children beaten to death of
Table 2) and so much concern for young thugs who shoot each other in criminal
activities. It is especially puzzling
since gun control is ineffective in controlling violence (see the recent admissions by the CDC and NRC that they
can’t prove gun control reduces violence). |
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Table 1) 1981 - 2003, Maryland Homicide
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Table 2) 1981 - 2003, Maryland Homicide
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