Peter Graffagnino of Bridgeville is a retired educator.
In response to a recent Opinion by John Drennen: You certainly had a lot to say about my recent post regarding the mailing I received from “BRADY United Against Gun Violence” (“Writer’s guns stats are ‘deceiving’”). Let’s take a look at some of the comments you made in your second paragraph.
“There is no mention of how many deaths from guns come from the urban community. There’s no mention about how many guns are stolen, bought by straw buyers or made from parts, to avoid background checks. How many of the people involved are repeat offenders with gun charges?”
My reply: Right you are! Likewise, the rest of your comments continue to highlight how the legal system has contributed to the problems regarding gun safety. Right on again and much better written!
Now, why on Earth would I not have addressed some or all of your concerns in my posting? They certainly are all very important and valid issues! Well, there is a very good reason for me not addressing any of your very well written and valid concerns. It’s because my posting was completely about the mailing I received from BRADY United Against Gun Violence, word for word! I thought I made that very clear in my introduction! The cover page of the mailing states: “NUMBER of GUN VIOLENCE DEATHS PER YEAR BY COUNTRY.” The list begins with the United States on the very top of the graph, with the most deaths by gun violence every year, as opposed to every other country listed! The group further clarifies that its data comes from other “high income” countries around the world. The graph lists the USA with a red line across the top of the page, stating that there is an “average” of 40,000 gun deaths per year in the USA! Likewise, the rest of my posting is specific to that document from BRADY, as well! All the numbers and statements made are taken directly from the aforementioned mailing. Further, the comments regarding what numerous countries have done to address gun violence are again taken from that mailing, word for word. The only comment that is not specific to the mailing from BRADY is my final sentence, which states: “And, in the United States of America, on average, over 40,000 lives are lost this way every year! Is there anybody who is comfortable with that?” Are you? Forget the nuances of those numbers; the dead can’t speak for themselves, regardless of why and how they died. They have no voice! Likewise, for the record, there was no “cherry picking,” as you suggested. All the information in my post was directly from the aforementioned mailer, word (and numbers) for word.
Let me explain a little about BRADY United Against Gun Violence. When President Ronald Reagan was shot, James “Jim” Brady was also shot, taking a bullet to his brain. He survived but had a serious injury. Ultimately, he died an early death from that episode. He was Reagan’s press secretary. He and his wife formed BRADY United Against Gun Violence, which is now a multimillion-dollar entity whose sole purpose is to promote particulars to the public regarding gun safety and violence, both here and abroad, and to fight for better weapons control in the public domain. There are many more details about how it operates on the web. I would recommend you and all our readers in Delaware take a look. Be careful what you accuse people of, Mr. Drennen, in your posts. In this case, you completely missed the fact that every word and every number I listed came directly from the mailer. I was not the author of same! I only acted as a reporter, not the author.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
