Re: OT /Interesting amusing statistic

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Jun 18, 5:53=A0pm, "Robert L Bass" <Sa...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> "Jim" wrote:
>
> > Doctors vs Gun owners:
>
> > Doctors :
> > (A) The number of physicians in the U.S.. is 700,000.
>
> > (B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.
>
> > (C) Accidental deaths per physician =A0is =A00.171.
>
> > Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.
>
> > So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more
> > dangerous than gun owners.
>
> The quoted statistics don't take into account the more significant issue =
of
> "number of overall incidents." =A0Let us assume that the average doctor s=
ees 30
> patients per day. =A0Now let us assume that gun owners accidentally fire =
their
> weapons only once every 10 years.
>
> If we multiply the number of doctors (700,000) by patients per day (30) a=
nd
> again multiply the result by number of days the average doctor actually w=
orks
> in a given year (say 200) we have 4,200,000,000 doctor-patient interactio=
ns
> per year. =A0Divide this into 120,000 and we find that you have a 0.00002=
8
> chance of dying from a doctor visit.
>
> Now take the number of accidental gunshots -- 8,000,000 owners once every=
 10
> years. =A01,500 of these accidental discharges result in deaths. =A0Divid=
e 1,500
> by (80,000,000/10) and we find that the likelihood of death from accident=
al
> discharge of a firearm is 0.0001875. =A0Thus the chance of dying from any=
 given
> accidental discharge of a firearm is nearly 7 times that of visiting a do=
ctor.
>
> This does not take into account the number of people who die of heart att=
acks
> after receiving the physicians' bills. =A0It also does not take into
> consideration the probability that all of the statistics in the cited rep=
ort
> were made up on the spot by the author of the report, just like the ones =
I
> just made up. =A0:^)
>
> --
>
> Regards,
> Robert L Bass
>
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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D>
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> DIY Alarm and Home Automation Storehttp://www.bassburglaralarms.com
> Sales & Service 941-870-2310
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RHC: Although both posts were made "tongue in cheek", it does
illustrate how the gun hating and other paranoid groups use the same
kind of approach to "prove" any number of ridiculous claims about the
harm of private gun ownership. Distortion of the truth by the misuse
of statistics is the name of the game in both the US and Canada on any
number of issues (not just the gun control issue but definately with
the gun control issue). You always have to look at the source of any
report to get the true "colour" of the facts....

 I think one of our long dead Prime Ministers said it correctly when
faced with a poll showing stats that weren't in his favour..." Polls
are for dogs to pee on...."