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PBS commentator Mark Shields says more killed by guns since '68 than in all U.S. wars



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Commentator Mark Shields said more Americans have been killed by gunfire since 1968 than in all the wars in the nation's history. Is that correct?

Since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., supporters and opponents of gun control have thrown out statistics to support their point of view.

Here’s one that caught our eye, offered by liberal commentator Mark Shields on the Dec. 21, 2012, edition of the PBS NewsHour.

Shields told host Judy Woodruff, "You know, Judy, the reality is -- and it's a terrible reality -- since Robert Kennedy died in the Ambassador Hotel on June 4, 1968, more Americans have died from gunfire than died in … all the wars of this country's history, from the Revolutionary through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, in those 43 years. ... I mean, guns are a problem. And I think they still have to be confronted."

Is the death toll that high? Let's examine each half of his comparison.

Deaths from warfare

We found a comprehensive study of war-related deaths published by the Congressional Research Service on Feb. 26, 2010, and we supplemented that with data for deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan using the website icasualties.org. Where possible, we’ve used the broadest definition of "death" -- that is, all war-related deaths, not just those that occurred in combat.

Here’s a summary of deaths by major conflict:

Revolutionary War

4,435

War of 1812

2,260

Mexican War

13,283

Civil War (Union and Confederate, estimated)

525,000

Spanish-American War

2,446

World War I

116,516

World War II

405,399

Korean War

36,574

Vietnam War

58,220

Persian Gulf War

383

Afghanistan War

2,175

Iraq War

4,486

Total

1,171,177

Another 362 deaths resulted from other conflicts since 1980, such as interventions in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Somalia and Haiti, but the number is not large enough to make a difference.

Gunfire deaths

The number of deaths from gunfire is a bit more complicated to total. Two Internet-accessible data sets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allow us to pin down the number of deaths from 1981 to 1998 and from 1999 to 2010. We’ve added FBI figures for 2011, and we offer a number for 1968 to 1980 using a conservative estimate of data we found in a graph in this 1994 paper published by the CDC.

Here is a summary. The figures below refer to total deaths caused by firearms:

1968 to 1980 377,000 1981 to 1998 620,525 1999 to 2010 364,483 2011 32,163 Total 1,384,171

We should note that these figures refer to all gun-fire related deaths -- not just homicides, but also suicides and accidental deaths. In 2011, about one-quarter of firearm-related deaths were homicides, according to FBIand CDC data. Using total firearm-related deaths makes the case against guns more dramatic than just using homicides alone.

When we rated a previous Facebook post, we lowered an otherwise True claim to Mostly True because it said that "nearly 100,000 people get shot every year." We found that the number of gun deaths and non-fatal injuries added up to 104,852, but we concluded that the term "get shot" could suggest victims who got shot by someone else rather than by their own hand. We don’t see a similar problem with the way Shields’ comment was phrased -- namely, "died from gunfire."
Our ruling
Since Shields’ comparison was otherwise accurate, with about 1.4 million firearm deaths to 1.2 million in war, we rated his claim True.

[smokeyone]

Cars have killed that number combined in the US since 1968.

[Crimson Kicker8]

[smokeyone]

if the justification for taking my constitutionally protected right is they are a danger to others lets have that discusion. If its that you just dont like guns lets have that discusion. But lets not cherry pick one as a means to justify the other.

[SECats]

smokeyone, on 19 January 2013 - 06:52 AM, said:

if the justification for taking my constitutionally protected right is they are a danger to others lets have that discusion. If its that you just dont like guns lets have that discusion. But lets not cherry pick one as a means to justify the other.

It's what libs do.

[cocky4ever]

Being fat killed tons more people(what I did there), and costs all of us. I say we need to address that too, but people take the same approach : "dey cain't take my cheezburgahs!!"

[The Doctor]

cocky4ever, on 19 January 2013 - 08:06 AM, said:

Being fat killed tons more people(what I did there), and costs all of us. I say we need to address that too, but people take the same approach : "dey cain't take my cheezburgahs!!"

No joke, fast food is a much bigger issue for this country then people realize.

[Mentofresh]

I'll give you my beefy 5-layer burrito when you pry it from my cold, dead hands

[GatorHater24]

How many have died in car accidents?

[smokeyone]

GatorHater24, on 19 January 2013 - 11:21 AM, said:

How many have died in car accidents?

2.5 million since 68

[TheRealBrave]

Mentofresh, on 19 January 2013 - 10:56 AM, said:

I'll give you my beefy 5-layer burrito when you pry it from my cold, dead hands

If they take my spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's, there is going to be hell to pay.

[GatorHater24]

smokeyone, on 19 January 2013 - 11:43 AM, said:

2.5 million since 68

Don't let Berry see that stat. They ain't takin' my truck. I'll hide the keys

[NextYearIsHere]

Seriously... no one thinks this is a problem? You deflect by mentioning heart disease and cars accidents, but seriously, this doesn't shock you guys?

[The Dude]

NextYearIsHere, on 20 January 2013 - 03:13 AM, said:

Seriously... no one thinks this is a problem? You deflect by mentioning heart disease and cars accidents, but seriously, this doesn't shock you guys?

Wait, I thought you were NOT in favor of taking away handguns and guns specifically for hunting?

Cause, if you're not...then what problem are you referring to? An overwhelming majority of gun violence is carried out by handguns, not those 'scary looking' assault weapons or high capacity clips.

[cocky4ever]

NextYearIsHere, on 20 January 2013 - 03:13 AM, said:

Seriously... no one thinks this is a problem? You deflect by mentioning heart disease and cars accidents, but seriously, this doesn't shock you guys?

I honestly found it shocking as hell. I mean, you usually hear about a few people every week getting killed, but I didn't think it would add up to that kind of number. Not really sure how to fix the problem though.