Eugene Robinson's statement "Gun violence costs 30,000 lives in this country each year" is misleading ("Let's treat gun violence as terrorism," April 24). That figure includes suicide deaths, which is an entirely different issue than violent crime.
According to the FBI, 12,664 homicides occurred in 2011. Of those, 8,583 were committed with firearms; 323 involved rifles of any type including the horrid "assault rifle," which is 35 percent fewer than those involving clubs and hammers and less than one half those involving fists. More people were killed with shotguns than with rifles.
All are terrible statistics, including the 4,081 who were killed by other means. More children were killed by baby-sitters (39) than were killed at Newtown, Conn. (none of these involved firearms). No one is campaigning against baby-sitters. Some 2,916 were killed by knives, clubs, hammers and fists. Should we require a background check to buy a knife, club or hammer?
Without guns, how many of those 8,583 firearm homicides would have happened anyway? Politicizing this issue by blaming guns and the NRA is assisting with the next tragedy.
We must focus on violence rather than guns. Let's look at "recreational drug" use that fosters, finances and abets drug and gang violence. Let's campaign for parents to monitor their children's activities. Let's enforce laws already on the books.
Mr. Robinson has every right to demand outrage against violence as well as terrorism, but to blame guns is naive at best.
Joseph Mormando
Hudson