Parents right to worry about guns

Michael Halm, Las Vegas

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013 | 2:01 a.m.

A recent letter to the editor, whose author claims to like to back up his claims with research, charges that parents who are concerned about their children’s safety because of gun violence are being paranoid. As evidence, he cites his research that the National Safety Council rates the odd of “death by firearms discharge” at only 1 in 7,059, much less than the odds of dying by — for instance — drowning, which is 1 in 1,012.

However, the very same chart at the National Safety Council lists “assault by firearm” as a separate category from “death by firearm discharge.” The odds — according to the National Safety Council — of death by assault by firearm is 1 in 340. This solidly places firearms as one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States. I don’t believe that a parent concerned about this level of violence can fairly be called paranoid.

I have four children. The responsibility of raising them and preparing them for the many challenges and dangers they will face is the most important and difficult task of my life. I cannot afford to base my child-rearing decisions on sloppy or dishonest research. There is too much at stake. And I am very slow to question any other parent in their concern for their children. Their job is hard enough without me adding my unsolicited advice.

Maybe someone who has no children and has nothing more at risk than his own selfish rights can afford to be careless about the truth. But if you have the responsibility of raising children, or are giving advice to those who have that responsibility, then you ought to be more careful in your research.