How we die...

The tragedy at Virginia Tech prompted a eye-opening look at gun deaths in America by Bill Marsh at the NYT.

Two things struck me.

1. White men who have guns seem to use them on themselves - especially if they are young.
2. This is a big country. When you can essentially lose 81 gun deaths a day in the background noise, we have either become deaf to the announcement of such demises, or they are too diluted to register on our danger-meters.
   

I have already been denounced roundly for mentioning on USFR that I don't own a gun. I also said that I didn't care if you did, but that doesn't seem to matter to gun enthusiasts. The odds of bad things happening are greater in a household with guns there, so I have gotten along very well without them.

Yeah I know, when the apocalypse comes and the big meltdown happens you can come over here and shoot me and take all my power tools, but I've calculated the odds, and I'll stand pat on this one. Besides, I am not alone.