Op-Ed: ''Gun Control: Why Tell the Truth When a Lie Will Do?''

By Howard Nemerov

A recent Washington Post article claims “More than 500 children die annually from accidental gunshots: Some shoot themselves, while others kill friends or siblings, often after discovering a gun.”

To understand how a biased or under-educated writer makes an inaccurate and misleading error, we must first clarify the term “child.” Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “childhood” as: “The state or stage of life as a child…the time from birth to puberty.” Oxford defines “puberty” as: “The period during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction, distinguished by the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics.” In terms of age, there seems to be general agreement that this ability to procreate occurs by the age of 15: childhood is over by then.

Citing 2003 data from the Centers for Disease Control–the latest available online–and using the standard definition of “child,” the number of accidental firearms deaths was 56, and the total number for minors (under age 18) was 102. To reach the number stated in the article, we must include all fatal firearms accidents through age 45.

Click here to read Nemerov's complete analysis at ChronWatch.com.

NOTE: Nemerov will appear on NRANews.com's Cam & Company Friday June 9 at 3:20 p.m. to discuss this article! The archived broadcast will be available throughout the weekend and Monday until 3:00 p.m.