Letter to the Editor

Fantasy-Land, Reality-Land, and Guns

Authors: Robin R. Hemphill, MD, MPH

Abstract

To the Editor:


In the article Do Guns Provide Safety? At What Cost?, Narang et al1 attempt to answer the question as to whether guns are protective. The sad truth, confirmed yet again by this article, is that they do not. The sadder truth is that this is not a new revelation. The saddest truth is that despite the overwhelming evidence that guns don't make individuals safer, gun advocates continue to make gains in this country. Tennessee is the latest state to pass a law expanding guns rights by allowing guns in parks and restaurants.2

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References

1.Narang P, Paladuga A, Manda SR, et al. Do guns provide safety? At what cost? South Med J 2010;103:151–153.
 
2.Seelye KQ. Tennessee Expands Gun Rights. New York Times. June 15, 2009. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/us/16tennessee.html. Accessed September 20, 2009.
 
3.Saltzman LE, Mercy J, O'Carroll, et al. Weapon involvement and injury outcomes in family and intimate assaults. JAMA 1992;267:3043–3047.
 
4.Belz H. Abraham Lincoln, Constitutionalism, and Equal Rights in the Civil War Era. New York, Fordham University Press, 1998.