Reply #24: The 30k figure includes suicides [View All]

[metalbot]

In 2007 (the year for which I had the easiest stats handy from wikipedia) only about 40% of those were actually homicides, making homicide by gun approximately as common as drunk driving fatalities. I could probably make a better argument for the prohibition of alcohol (which has no redeeming values other than being fun) than the prohibition of firearms (which have practical self defense value in addition to their sporting value).

Depending on which study you believe (including one conducted by the DoJ), people use guns to defend themselves between 500k and 2.5m times per year in the US (although the methodology used for some of the larger numbers is questionable). The vast majority of these incidents don't involve shots fired. If you'd like further reading, you can google "Defensive Gun Incidents", and you'll find links to a variety of interpretations of these studies.