To the Editor: Plain Dealer overstates dangers of kids and guns

The following letter to the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was submitted by Buckeye Firearms Foundation Board of Directors member Gerard Valentino in response to an editorial entitled "Kids and guns are a tragic mix."

To the editor:

Monday's editorial "Kids and guns are a tragic mix" takes a shallow look at the problem of how children are killed in America today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a child under the age of 18 is far more likely to die in an auto accident than via a firearm.

When it comes to pools, the statistics are even more shocking: A child is nine times more likely to die by drowning than via a firearm.

All it takes is an open mind and a little research to find out what truly puts kids at risk.

Clearly, The Plain Dealer editorial board's mind is closed on the gun issue. Board members are afraid that in-depth research will prove their biased viewpoint is based on conjecture and emotion instead of the facts.

Gerard Valentino, Pickerington