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AAP News Vol. 15 No. 6 June 1999, p. 24 © 1999 American Academy of Pediatrics
1 New York
The letter from Dr. Gideon Rapaport of Levittown, N.Y., titled "Right to bear arms vs. tyranny," (April, AAP News) cannot go unanswered. The data presented are incorrect and incomplete, and he presents a faulty analysis of the problem of gun violence in the United States. In 1996, there were 34,040 firearm-related deaths of which 4,643 were to children less than 20 years of age: 2,836 (61 percent) were the result of homicide, 1,309 (28 percent) were suicide, 386 (8 percent) were unintentional and 112 (3 percent) undetermined. Nearly 86 percent of all homicides to 15- to 19-year-olds are firearm-related.
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