Did pro-gun letter miss the mark on statistics?

A Feb. 20 letter writer (“Anti-gun writer not presenting all the facts”) claims that I quoted “questionable statistics” when I wrote in my Feb. 11 letter that since May 2007, conceal-carry licensees have killed at least nine law enforcement officers and 117 private citizens.

Evidently, Mr. Varner did not check the Violence Policy Center Web site provided in my letter, www.vpc.org/ccwkill

ers.htm, which provides details from newspaper accounts on each shooting incident. If he had, he would have seen that the vast majority of victims were family members, friends or acquaintances of the shooter who were shot during an argument or dispute or relationship problem - not “robbers, rapists, murderers, burglars, child molesters, etc.” as suggested by Mr. Varner.

Of the approximately 80 separate incidents detailed on the Web site, 30 incidents involved the shooting of a spouse (12 incidents), girlfriend or boyfriend (7 incidents), or other family member (11 incidents). In 28 incidents, the shooting occurred during an argument or dispute between the shooter and victim.

These documented facts trump the unsubstantiated propaganda from pro-gun activists.

John Johnson

Cedar Rapids