A Shot at the Gun

Researchers describe it as a simple equation; more guns, more murders.

In a statement bound to raise hackles, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health came out with results of a survey, published in the Social Science and Medicine. Posession of firearms is a hot topic in US, where the case for it, is still very strong.

One in three US households owns a gun,according to current data.

Researchers analyzed data gathered from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and based on this divided the country into four groups.

Conclusions drawn from the study indicated that the states, which had the higher rates of firearm posession by households, had also the highest rates of murders, i.e. 60 percent, including murders carried out by children themselves.

‘Our findings suggest that in the United States, household firearms may be an important source of guns used to kill children, women and men, both on the street and in their homes,’ said Matthew Miller, assistant professor of health policy and injury prevention, who led the study. More than 200 million guns are privately owned in the US, according to the Justice Department.

In September, the FBI released 2005 figures showing violent crime had risen 2.3 per cent nationally.

The strong correlation between posession of firearms and homicide rates, proved by the research is bound to pose some tough questions to those who lobby for firearm posession.

Source-Medindia
ANN