Gun deaths in America to exceed traffic deaths by 2015: report
Bill Saxler of Milwaukee holds a Bushmaster rifle 19 May, 2006, during the 135th National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
By 2015, gun deaths will exceed traffic fatalities in America, according to a report.
The report comes amid renewed debate about gun violence in the US in the wake of the shooting massacre of 27 people — 20 of them children — at Sandy Hook elementary school, Connecticut, a week ago.
Citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bloomberg reported that shooting deaths will probably rise to almost 33,000 in 2015, while those related to vehicles would decline to about 32,000, based on the 10-year average trend.
According to the Economist, America’s murder rate is four times higher than Britain’s and six times higher than Germany’s.
About 85 Americans are shot dead daily, while every day, one of those killed by firearms is 14 or younger.
Of the total, 16 were between the ages of 15 and 24, most of them homicide victims, Bloomberg wrote.
Bloomberg cited Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis, as saying that the shift was directly linked to public policy.
Safer vehicles, restricted rules for young drivers, seat-belt and other aspects of driving had led to a fall in traffic deaths, he said. By contrast:
"We've made policy decisions that have had the impact of making the widest array of firearms available to the widest array of people under the widest array of conditions."
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Newtown gunman Adam Lanza contemplated joining Marines.
The New York Daily News cited a friend of Nancy Lanza that the Sandy Hook shooter had previously mentioned serving in the armed forces.
She realized a military career "wasn't right for him," the friend reportedly said.
More from GlobalPost: Sandy Hook shooting: Adam Lanza considered joining Marines, military
Wintemute said more than 200 people go to US emergency rooms daily with gunshot wounds.
Wintemute said that while fewer households in America had guns, people who owned guns were buying more of them.
The Economist pointed out that there are 300 million guns in the United States — more than one for every adult.
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