Well Jerry - I have taken enough statistic's classes to know that they are all skewed to the statistician's view. And yes - even the Health Department skews them.

I think what Jed was stating is that your assumption of 33,000 children killed each year by a handgun is ludicrous. And it is ludicrous. During our years in Viet Nam we lost about 8,000 troops each year, that is an average as during 1968 we lost a bit more, and total losses from the war came to roughly 60,000. Now I don't know about you but I remember that during the war everyone knew someone who had a family member killed during the war.

So let us extrapolate a bit. If we lost 33,000 kids each year wouldn't each and every person in this thread know at leat one dead kid? Well we don't. It may not be statistically correct but it is reality. And your 33,000 is pulled from total deaths (assuming that is true) each year - not just kids.

So let's go to the other extreme. The NRA, bless their souls, says that there are well over a half million crimes that aren't committed due to firearm ownership. Now where did they get that one? If the crime wasn't committed how did we know?

It's the same with domestic violence, child abductions, and a host of other extremist versions of the truth that give us the "Oh my God!! Let's add another worthless law to our overburdened system." folks.

Stand up for your convictions - but get real about your stats, your mission, and your purpose.

Steve