Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Saturday sharply criticized the network’s report on securing firearms away from children, arguing that more kids die “drowning in their bathtubs” than from gun accidents.
Carlson was reacting to a “Fox & Friends Weekend” segment about a bill in New York state that would require firearms be safely stored with a locking device, which would prevent children from using them.
“The point of that package was guns are scary, gun owners are a threat to you and your children,” he said. “The truth is, well, obviously a child’s death is the worst tragedy imaginable. Far more children died last year drowning in their bathtubs than were killed accidentally by guns.”
“So, I would like to see a package on, do you have a bathtub at home? Because I need to know that before I send my child over to your house,” he added. “A little perspective might be helpful.”
Watch the segment below:
Is it true? Nope.
The CDC says that from 2005 to 2009 there were an average of 3533 drowning deaths in the United States. One in five were kids under the age of fourteen, meaning that 700 kids each year drowned in any circumstance – pool, lake, pond, river, ocean, tub, etc.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says that between 2006 and 2010 there were 434 drownings of children under 4 in bathtubs, buckets and toilets or 87 per year. 13 percent were outside the home in a small amount of water, meaning there were about 75 deaths annually due to bathtub drowning. The risk of drowning in a tub is almost non-existent above the age of 4.
The Brady Campaign says that 85 children under the age of 5 died of gunshot wounds in 2007. It also says that 124 children under 19 years of age die annually due to accidental gunshot wounds. 2829 die of all gunshot wounds.
Oh, lord, do we really need to point out the logical flaw in this argument? More children die in car accidents than in gun accidents. Therefore, we shouldn’t worry about guns at all - in fact, we should give them to 6-year-olds as birthday presents, right?
And of course, the purpose of a bath is to get a toddler clean. The purpose of a car is to transport a toddler to day care, or to visit his grandparents. The purpose of a gun in the home is… well… Hmmm. It would seem that the purpose of a gun in the home is to increase the likelihood that the little kid who lives there is going to get lead poisoning.
Drown in a bathtub and people work to raise awareness of the hazard. Get shot and people shriek it’s either the kid’s fault or a nefarious plot to get rid of the 2nd Amendment.
No its not true, not even close. As usual Carlson is just making up his own facts. I think its called lying.
A pertinent question. According to the CDC, 2 kids drown each day on the average.
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html
How many in bathtubs are unclear. Anecdotally, most seem to be in pools or lakes.
For shootings, this place claims 3000 a year.
So 8 or so a day.
Yeah, I know. Different methodologies and all. Still, it seems like you should treat Mr. Carson’s number as a biohazard because of the orifice he pulled the numbers out of…