- Right now @clgoddard is delivering 35K signatures to Congress pre-State of the Union to push for action on #guns http://t.co/C04i0QaY
- What can you do to help make a safer nation? Consider volunteering time & talent. Details here: http://t.co/hG1SKqJL
- If you've lost a loved one to gun violence, plz share your story: http://t.co/vSjqVbmI
- Tell Congress we want action to reduce #gun violence. Help reach the goal of 30,000 emails by midnight: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Only hours left to make as big an impact as possible. Plz RT to help reach goal of 30K emails to Congress: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends & followers to reach our goal of 30,000 emails to Congress in the next few hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to make Congress hear our demand to reduce #gun violence. Help send 30K emails by midnight http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make sure Congress hears our demand for action to reduce #gun violence. Let's send 30,000 emails over the next 48 hours http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make our voices heard. Help send 30,000 emails urging Senate Judiciary Committee members to act on #gun reform http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends, family & followers to help send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Nationwide call-to-action: Help rally friends & family to send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- President, Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly say #NowIsTheTime for #gun reform. Tell Congress you agree: http://t.co/NJBj2Vt8 http://t.co/bWHypNuY
Study Shows Those Armed More Likely To Be Shot
Oct 6, 2009
Washington, DC - A new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers shows that people in possession of a firearm are almost 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than people who are not in possession of a firearm. The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and appears in the November 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
The published conclusions state “on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. Although successful defensive gun uses occur each year, the probability of success may be low for civilian gun users in urban areas.”
Possessors of guns may be in more, not less, danger for a number of reasons, researchers wrote. Offenders often use surprise to overpower their victims, making it difficult to use a gun for self-defense; if a victim is able to draw a gun, it signals to the offender that he must use maximum force to overpower the victim. In addition, the increased possibility of guns being carried in the community may lead to an escalation in the lethality of weapons brought to an argument, researchers argued.
Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, responded to the report as follows:
“The study’s findings show once again the risks of gun ownership and how having more guns correlates with more gun violence. This research severely undermines the argument by gun pushers that carrying a gun automatically makes a person safer. In urban areas, gun possessors, far from being protected by their guns, are at an increased risk of harm. Restrictions on carrying guns clearly makes sense as a smart public safety strategy.”
The study’s lead author is Charles C. Branas, of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Firearm and Injury Center at Penn, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Researchers enrolled 677 case participants who had been shot in an assault and 684 control participants. The study lasted from October 2003 through April 2006, was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
A study abstract is at www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2008.143099v1.
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The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest citizens' lobby to prevent gun violence. We represent the voice of the overwhelming majority of Americans who are tired of living with the constant tragedy of gun violence and are in favor of strong laws and policies that will save lives. We are the light that exposes politicians who are putting the American people at risk, empowering the American people to hold them accountable for decisions and actions that undermine public safety.
We are driven by the focused vision of a nation where all Americans are safe at home, at work, at school, and in our communities.
Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
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