Don’t Fear Guns: You’re Far More Likely to be Hit by a Car

A recent post at Breitbart notes that, even using FBI data (some of which has been called into question), “Americans are roughly 159 times more likely to be struck by a car and killed than shot and killed in a mass shooting.”

Whether the FBI numbers are accurate or not, the post used them to indicate that in 2012, Americans were more than 159 times more likely to be killed by a vehicle while walking than to be shot and killed in a so-called “mass shooting.”

In 2005 alone there were 4,892 pedestrians killed, which means you were over 164 times more likely to die by car while walking than in a mass shooting in that year. The year 2009 was the best for pedestrians–only 4,109 were struck by cars and killed. However, even at that rate you were nearly 138 times more likely to be struck by a car and killed than shot and killed in a mass shooting.

Guns and vehicles are both needed in our society, and we shouldn’t fear either of them. Let’s just respect their power and be careful out there.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.