How will CeaseFire spin this? Homicide no longer among leading death causes :: 01/13/2012

Homicide no longer among leading death causes

By Dave Workman , Seattle Gun Rights Examiner

A blockbuster revelation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , reported by both the Seattle Times and Tacoma News Tribune , shows that homicide is no longer among the top 15 causes of death in the United States, during a period when firearm ownership and concealed carry is increasing.

This poses a dilemma for gun prohibitionists at Washington CeaseFire, the Violence Policy Center and Brady Campaign. Of course, all three include firearm-related deaths from suicide and accidents (both still in the Top 10) as "gun violence," but that may be a bit misleading. It depends upon one's personal and political perspective.

Gun rights activists are already discussing the news, which broke Wednesday, on the GunRightsMedia forum. And Larry Keane, vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, had this to say:

"This statistic simply serves to further demonstrate that the lawful possession and use of firearms by law abiding Americans whom have chosen to exercise their fundamental constitutional right to keep and bear arms that is protected by Second Amendment does not cause crime. In fact, as firearms ownership increases and there have never been more firearms in civilian possession in the history of the United States, crime including homicide continues to decline throughout the country."-Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel

For everyone's edification, here are the top 15 causes of death in the United States during 2010, listed by the CDC:

1. Heart disease

2. Cancer

3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases

4. Stroke/disease of blood vessels in the brain

5. Accidents

6. Alzheimer's disease

7. Diabetes

8. Kidney disease

9. Flu and pneumonia

10. Suicide

11. Septicemia (blood infections)

12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis

13. High blood pressure

14. Parkinson's disease

15. Pneumonitis