Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper cited the number of suicides by firearm as he signed new gun  restrictions into law. 

"However many homicides we have each year with handguns,  we have about 20 percent more suicides," he said. "That number drops  significantly when you have universal background checks."

I’m not sure where the governor gets that figure, but it is NOT from the Centers for Disease Control. 
 
The most recent (2012) data from the CDC simply studies the methods used to commit suicide. 
 
"For Americans, suicide  is the 10th leading cause of death. It resulted in 36,909 lives lost in 2009.
The top three methods used in suicides included firearm (51%), suffocation  (24%), and poisoning (17%)," the CDC said.

Now here’s the interesting part. The CDC says deaths from suicide are only part of the  problem. “More people survive suicide attempts than actually die. In 2010, about  465,000 people received medical care for self-inflicted injuries at emergency  departments across the United States,”  the Centers reported.

However, the CDC does  not break down the percentages of which methods attempted were unsuccessful. So
it stands to reason that, for whatever reason, guns may not always be the deadliest  and most efficient method to end it all.

Perhaps Gov. Hickenlooper theorized that conducting a background check on all gun purchases could save lives. Maybe
he also should have looked into background checks for selling rope and prescription drugs.

- Dr. Gatling


 

 Before school shooters made headlines, it was mad bombers who killed our  children.

 The deadliest mass murder in a school in U.S. history took place in May 1927  in Bath Township, Michigan. 

Wikipedia’s entry on the tragedy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_Disaster) says  Andrew Kehoe “killed 38 elementary school children and six adults, and injured  at least 58 other people. Kehoe first killed his wife, fire-bombed his farm and  set off a major explosion in the Bath Consolidated School, before committing  suicide by detonating a final explosion in his truck.”

 Kehoe is said to have used a timed detonator to ignite hundreds of pounds of dynamite and  incendiary pyrotol.

 In September 1959, my wife and her brother survived a bombing at Poe Elementary School in Houston, Texas. 

Six people, including the perpetrator, were killed, according to the  Wikipedia listing,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe_Elementary_School_bombing  .

 The debate continues about limiting firearm magazine size or outlawing  semi-automatic rifles (guns that require a separate pull of the trigger to fire  bullets one-by-one) that resemble military rifles. 

True assault rifles, capable of fully-automatic fire, have been strictly  regulated since 1934.

But I have to wonder what might happen if new gun control initiatives make it  more expedient for deranged killers to resort to real weapons of mass  destruction.

 - Dr. Gatling

Leaders of Rhode  Island’s capital city have passed a resolution calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles and
pistols.
 
The Providence City Council is asking the state General Assembly to pass legislation allowing cities and towns to regulate the sale of firearms, thus allowing the city to implement a ban. 

Rhode Island's General Assembly previously rejected a motion to allow local control over gun sales, and the Legislature does not meet again until 2014.

Note that the Providence resolution is just that. It is not an ordinance and  has no enforcement power. It is a wish-list for the future ability to institute  a ban.

The proposal was sponsored by Council Majority Leader Seth Yurdin.

“Things like revolvers, single-shot rifles and shotguns are not affected by the ban,” Yurdin said. “Those are suitable for home defense or  hunting." 

It’s not clear if Yurdin’s plan would confiscate weapons-- or just outlaw the transfer or sale of semi-autos. But it already has sparked sales of  both firearms and ammunition chambered by semi-automatic rifles and pistols.

Now, you may say that such an idea would never win favor in your town. 
  
But consider this: The same day (Jan. 3) that the Providence City Council passed its resolution against semi-automatic firearms, it also became illegal to sell flavored cigars and cigarettes in the city. 
 
Providence officials passed the ordinance after deciding that tobacco companies often market fruit-, chocolate- or candy-flavored tobacco products to young smokers.

So if Providence can pass a chocolate-flavored cigarette ban, I wouldn’t bet against something as silly as a blanket ban of semi-automatic firearms.

 - Dr. Gatling

As folks struggle to find ways for blaming guns for violence, Reuters reports  a resurgence of interest in so-called "smart guns" that will fire only for  authorized users.

The idea has been around for years, first using magnetic rings and then RFID  chips to unlock the trigger and make it go bang. Other research has focused on  biometetrics such as fingerprints and handprints.

Trouble is, the concept behind personal firearms is that it will render  stolen guns useless. If the key is embedded in a ring or bracelet, the thief  could claim both the gun and key by disabling the gun owner. 

Robert McNamara, who patented the TriggerSmart RFID lock, claimed his  invention might have prevented the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary  School. However, the gunman, who stole a rifle and pistols from his mother,
killing her in the process, would have known the guns were locked -- and could  have made sure to take the keys after doing away with his mother.

Another issue with smart guns is reliability. Law officers and gun owners fear that one  failure to unlock could be a fatal mechanical failure. 

Finally, gunmakers are reluctant to embrace what could be an expensive  technical upgrade for a firearm that could easily be placed in a safe, locked  drawer, or secured with a conventional trigger lock.

 - Dr. Gatling


 
 

 
The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) continues its support for tighter federal regulation of
firearms.
 
On Dec. 19, the group, claiming 60,000 members, wrote a  letter to President Obama calling for new federal legislation that bans assault weapons sales and the sale of high-capacity magazines, strengthens mandatory waiting periods and background checks for all gun purchases, and promotes strict gun safety policies.

 AAP President Thomas K. McInerny, MD, FAAP, said  the policy is a continuation of an advocacy  report the group
issued in October.

That report found that although rates have declined since the AAP issued the original policy statement in 1992,
firearm-related deaths continue as 1 of the top 3 causes of death in American youth ages 15 to 19. The firearm-associated death rate among youth ages 15 to 19 has fallen from its peak of 27.8 deaths per 100 000 in 1994 to 11.4 per
100 000 in 2009, driven by an unexplained decline in firearm homicide  rates.
 
However, the AAP says the rate remains unacceptably high, so it is recommending the regulation of the manufacture,
sale, purchase, ownership, and use of firearms; a ban on semiautomatic assault  weapons; and the strongest possible regulations of handguns for civilian  use.

Interestingly enough, the AAP did not  provide any data justifying its call for a ban on so-called “assault”rifles, and
they did not appear in the statistics, which dated back to  2004:

 “It is estimated that 57 million Americans  owned 283 million firearms in 2004, representing 38% of all households and 26%  of all adults having or owning at least 1 gun. Of these, 60% were long guns and  the remaining 40% were handguns. Of the handguns, 50% were revolvers, 35% were  semiautomatic pistols, and 15% were other  types.”

The AAP maintains that the "most reliable and effective measure to prevent firearm-related injuries in children and
adolescents" is to make sure there are no weapons available. Failing that, the AAP strongly supports safe gun storage (guns unloaded and locked, ammunition  locked separately).

Gatling Gun Removal Service ™ also  strongly supports safe gun storage. That is why we make it easy to relocate
unwanted, unused, or improperly stored guns to a more secure facility. Gatling  does NOT support any type of ban, confiscation, or additional regulation of  firearms. 

- Dr.  Gatling

So you walk into a bar and some guy starts telling you that America is ready for a gun ban. WHOA, pal, where did you get your information?

According to a USA Today/Gallup  poll  taken Dec. 19-22, days after the Newtown tragedy, only 44 percent of those
surveyed are in favor of banning the manufacture, sale, or possession of those  semi-automatic rifles known popularly – although incorrectly – as “assault  weapons.” Fifty-one percent are opposed to a ban on them.

The number opposed to a handgun ban rockets to a  record-high 74 percent. Conversely, the 24 percent in favor of a handgun ban is  the lowest recorded since Gallupfirst asked that question in  1959.

The only proposed ban that seems to have any public traction would be one outlawing the new manufacture or sale of detachable high-capacity ammunition magazines – generally those that hold more than 10 rounds. That number stands
at 62 percent in favor.
 
USA Today/Gallup also says 92 percent of respondents, up  from 83 percent in 1999, favor laws that require people attempting to purchase guns at gun shows, including gun dealers, to undergo background checks. The NRA
claims that closing the “gun show loophole” would lead to a requirement that any private firearm transfer would require a background check.
 
Finally, the new poll also finds that a record-high 47 percent of Americans favor passing new gun laws, up from 35 percent in 2011.  However, since Gallup first asked this question in 2000, majorities have consistently preferred enforcing the current laws more strictly  without passing new laws.
 
Results for this USA Today/Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 19-22, 2012, with a random sample of 1,038 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Gallup says it has 95 percent confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

- Dr. Gatling

Sometimes even those who think they have good intentions can run afoul of draconian laws.
NBC's David Gregory held up what he said was a high capacity ammunition magazine to make a point on "Meet the Press."
Now he's being investigated for allegedly violating the District of Columbia's ban on high-cap mags.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/55529308-68/magazine-police-gregory-nbc.html.csp
Well, David, you can't have it both ways. No matter how impractical, a ban is a ban and police will attempt to enforce it.
Some of my favorite sidearms hold fewer than 10 rounds: a 1911 Government Model .45, a Colt single-action Army six-shooter loaded with five rounds for safety and a J-frame Smith & Wesson Model 37 Chief's in .38 Special.
But I also like the venerable and fun-to-shoot M1 Carbine, with 15-round or 30-round banana clips (technically a magazine, not a clip).
So what does a ban on high-capacity magazine bans accomplish? And how many rounds is too many?
Depending on how you slice the data, 
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/24/history-gives-mixed-grade-to-impact-assault-weapons-ban/
mass shootings are not really impacted by high-cap mag bans because such shootings usually involve handguns. Such as the Dunblane shooting in Scotland that resulted in the UK's ammo ban or the Texas Luby's shooting that contributed to passage of the state's concealed handgun license law.
As for the number of rounds, the Aurora shooter used an after-market high-cap magazine that jammed, saving many lives. What if he had used smaller-capacity mags and had reloaded?
- Dr. Gatling

This is a great opinion piece in the Washington Times by Charles Hurt.
 He makes a good case for relocating guns.

"... then there are all the gun-buyback programs that politicians and  the  liberal media love so much. This is where big-city police departments offer  our  tax dollars to residents in exchange for guns they turn in. Then everybody proudly poses beside tables bristling with the hundreds and hundreds of guns they took off the streets.

These displays are a continual reminder that only the people out there on the street who are not armed are the law-abiding chumps like you and me.

Among the rounded-up firearms — destined for destruction in a smelter — are always a few rare and beautifully kept rifles and collectible World War II long  guns, as if antique guns and fireside gun-cleaning is the stuff of urban gunplay.

Am I the only person who suspects that probably every single one of those  nice guns was once somebody’s favorite hunting rifle before it got stolen in a  home burglary?"
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/25/hurt-gun-grabbers-wont-heed-nras-sensible-advice/#ixzz2G6ucDVdx
- Dr. Gatling

When my dad was in the 80s, he lived in an assisted  living center with security at the front door and cameras everywhere. A few  years earlier, I had taken his car keys away from him because his vision had  failed. But he persisted in keeping the Colt Government Model 1911 .45 pistol he  had carried in the ETO during World War II.

I had explained patiently that the  230-grain full metal jacket bullet would easily punch through the sheetrock walls, endangering his neighbors. And, because he kept it in the bedside  drawer, any number of nurses, therapists, medical supply delivery people and cleaning staff could have access to it.

Finally, I sat dad down, unloaded the pistol and handed it back to him. “OK, Dad,” I said. “Cycle the slide like you
were loading it.”

He tugged and tugged but his arthritic hands could not get  the slide all the way back. With a wry smile, and a bit of a tear, he handed  the pistol back and said, “I guess it’s time for it to live with you.”

He knew that he could no longer maintain the pistol properly or store it safely, so it  was time for the gun to be removed and relocated to a new home. Now that dad is  gone, I think of him frequently when I take his 1911 to the range. And, yes,
it’s locked up the rest of the time.

– Dr. Gatling.