Reply #4

In the discussion thread: Warning shot: Gun violence lands US lowest life expectancy among rich nations [View all]

Fri Jan 11, 2013, 07:49 PM

unblock (23,758 posts)

4. the age of the victim matters when looking at life expectancy

so if guns kill younger people, on average, than obesity, heart disease, etc., then on average each gun death pulls down the average life expectancy more than each heart attack because it robs more years off the victim's life.

i don't know for certain but i would certainly suspect that the average age of a gun death victim is significantly lower than the average age of a heart attack death victim.

so, for illustration (i.e., just pulling numbers out of my a--) it's possible for guns to account for 10% of all deaths in the u.s. yet be responsible for 20% of the lower life expectancy.

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49 replies	Author	Time	Post
Warning shot: Gun violence lands US lowest life expectancy among rich nations [View all]	kpete	Jan 2013	OP
How about stress, obesity, the rest?	NYC_SKP	Jan 2013	#1
the study looks at all of those things	Fresh_Start	Jan 2013	#2
the age of the victim matters when looking at life expectancy	unblock	Jan 2013	#4
Unsure, but I suspect if gun-related deaths were excluded our numbers would still suck.	NYC_SKP	Jan 2013	#7
i don't doubt that either.	unblock	Jan 2013	#8
The Study Mentions Those Too	AndyTiedye	Jan 2013	#9
Yeah, infant mortality is the other big drag on our life expectancy	Recursion	Jan 2013	#15
I posted an article about this the other day. Very shocking data!	yardwork	Jan 2013	#3
This wouldn't be the case if we just had MOAR GUNZ!!!!!!!!	kestrel91316	Jan 2013	#5
Of course not ... the problem is CLEARLY that there's not ENOUGH Guns in USA	brett_jv	Jan 2013	#19
Same source: Poverty, Nutrition, Under-50s Dying Young.	NYC_SKP	Jan 2013	#6
...	pipoman	Jan 2013	#10
Using that very link you provided, I found 31K deaths by firearms. Quite a significant difference.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#13
Half of those deaths are sucides	hack89	Jan 2013	#16
And still 20+X times the number cited. nt	EOTE	Jan 2013	#18
I don't understand your response. nt	hack89	Jan 2013	#20
The post I responded to said that there were 600 some firearm deaths in 2007, the number is actually	EOTE	Jan 2013	#21
600 accidental deaths. About 30k deaths total	hack89	Jan 2013	#23
I don't think the innocents killed give a damn whether their deaths were accidental or not. NT	EOTE	Jan 2013	#24
Guns are low on the causes of accidental deaths	hack89	Jan 2013	#25
Again, innocents don't give a fuck if they're killed accidentally or not.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#26
So lets focus on mental health and violent criminals	hack89	Jan 2013	#27
How about all the gun nuts stop trying to confuse the issue?	EOTE	Jan 2013	#28
Speaking of frothing	hack89	Jan 2013	#29
I'll demonize those who try to obfuscate the issue so they can continue stroking their guns.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#30
I bought up 30,000 gun deaths. I was confirming your post	hack89	Jan 2013	#31
The person I initially responded to was suggesting that gun deaths are no big deal	EOTE	Jan 2013	#32
I was just confused by your hostile tone to me	hack89	Jan 2013	#33
You were defending a post which tries to state that the number of gun deaths in this country is	EOTE	Jan 2013	#34
No - I was just adding some nuance to your numbers.	hack89	Jan 2013	#35
Historic low for this country, yet still WELL ahead the rest of the developed world.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#36
And they all have national health care that included mental health coverage	hack89	Jan 2013	#37
And the next highest country has one third our rate of gun violence.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#38
Here is something to consider	hack89	Jan 2013	#39
You are familiar with confounding variables, right?	EOTE	Jan 2013	#40
How could they have led to more deaths when the death toll is known and is lower?	hack89	Jan 2013	#41
More guns deaths than there would have been otherwise, comprende?	EOTE	Jan 2013	#42
It's going down steadily. That says a lot.	hack89	Jan 2013	#43
Yes, something is working.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#44
But according to many gun grabbers, guns are the only problem	hack89	Jan 2013	#45
I haven't seen any of those.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#46
If suicides are going to be used as a justification for gun control	hack89	Jan 2013	#47
Derrrrp. I never once suggested that mental health not be a big issue.	EOTE	Jan 2013	#49
Every single delusional gun nut needs to see this:	Zoeisright	Jan 2013	#11
This post was hidden by jury decision.	pipoman	Jan 2013	#12
Are you flogging that ABC video again?	Straw Man	Jan 2013	#14
I watched the video and I have to concur with the protestations, at least somewhat ...	brett_jv	Jan 2013	#22
Guns explain part of the difference in life expectancy, but not all of it.	DanTex	Jan 2013	#17
Is the headline offered as an argument against universal health coverage?	cthulu2016	Jan 2013	#48

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