{"id":758,"date":"2018-03-24T14:53:44","date_gmt":"2018-03-24T18:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=758"},"modified":"2018-03-24T14:53:44","modified_gmt":"2018-03-24T18:53:44","slug":"seven-steps-27000-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gopplaybook.com\/?p=758","title":{"rendered":"Seven Steps. 27,000 Lives."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

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In America, guns are a fact of life \u2014 and too often a cause of death. In all,\u00a038,658<\/span>\u00a0people died from gunshots in 2016. Some were murdered; others took their own lives. Some were killed by accident.<\/p>\n

But none of them had to die.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nearly 60 percent of those gun deaths were\u00a0suicides<\/span>.<\/p>\n

About 37 percent were\u00a0homicides<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Most of the rest were\u00a0accidental or undetermined<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Massachusetts had the\u00a0lowest<\/span>\u00a0gun death rate in the country in 2016:\u00a0About 3.5 per 100,000<\/span>.<\/p>\n

People killed by guns in Massachusetts represent a small fraction of those killed nationally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By comparison: Tennessee, which has slightly fewer people than Massachusetts, had a gun death rate of\u00a017.3 per 100,000<\/span>.<\/p>\n

In other words,\u00a0nearly five times<\/span>\u00a0as many people died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If every state had the same gun death rate as Massachusetts, some\u00a027,000<\/span>\u00a0lives could have been saved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That\u2019s\u00a070 percent fewer<\/span>\u00a0lives cut short by gunfire. And that\u2019s just fatalities: For every person killed with a gun, two to three more are injured.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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MARCH 23, 2018<\/p>\n

Many factors contribute to the prevalence of gun deaths. Rates of gun ownership \u2014 also relatively low in Massachusetts \u2014 and factors such as geography, education, and availability of health care all contribute.<\/p>\n

Yet the death rate in Massachusetts is low not just because of good hospitals and favorable demographics, but also because our laws foster a more careful coexistence with guns.<\/p>\n

Our laws could and should go further, but they recognize this much: Focusing on the cause of death \u2014 the weapons \u2014 is the best chance we have to keep more people alive.<\/p>\n

Saving lives is a choice. It\u2019s a choice the people of Massachusetts have made on a bipartisan basis, bit by bit, over decades. In the wake of the latest in a long line of mass killings, people all over the country appear ready to make similar choices. Some 67 percent of the country supports tougher gun laws, the highest level of support in more than three decades.<\/p>\n

Here are seven common-sense laws, all of which are consistent with the Second Amendment, and all of which have been shown to make living with guns safer.<\/p>\n

Visit the Boston Globe for state by state information on what you can do to prevent gun violence.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Weak or no law<\/h5>\n

Empower Local Communities<\/h4>\n

Local police decide who can own any gun<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Weak or no law<\/h5>\n

Protect Consumers<\/h4>\n

State law regulates both the manufacture and safety of firearms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Weak or no law<\/h5>\n

Protect the Vulnerable<\/h4>\n

Extreme Risk Protective Order laws allow families and police to remove guns from high-risk homes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Weak or no law<\/h5>\n

Ban Assault Weapons<\/h4>\n

All high-powered, semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines are banned for civilian use<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Weak or no law<\/h5>\n

Store Guns Safely<\/h4>\n

Owners can face charges if their weapons are stored unsafely around kids \u2014 even if the guns are not used<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Weak or no law<\/h5>\n

Regulate Gun Dealers<\/h4>\n

All gun purchases, including private sales, require a point-of-sale background check<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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No federal law<\/h5>\n

Get the Data<\/h4>\n

The federal government must allow and fund study of gun violence<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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If Alabama had the same gun death rate as Massachusetts, about\u00a0870<\/span>\u00a0fewer people would have been killed by gunfire in 2016.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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CONTACT STATE LEADERS FOR ALABAMA<\/h2>\n
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