The Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA National) Inc announced today that while it was pleased with a new Australian Institute of Criminologyreport, which says that very few legally held firearms are used in homicides, it believes the paper entitled Firearm-Related Morbidity in Australia overstates the problem of gun-related hospitalisations.
SSAA National Secretary Mr Roy Smith said that while firearm-related injuries were of concern, many other forms of injury far outstripped gun accidents. According to Mr Smith, Australian Bureau of Statisticsfigures indicate that road crashes account for more than 18,000 injuries a year. While studies have shown hospital-related errors are associated with a similar number of deaths annually.
Mr Smith said “compared to the number of people hurt on the roads or at the hands of our health system, firearm-related injuries are fractional. The fact is, you’re much safer at your local gun club than you are at the average hospital or driving home on the freeway.”