The NRA called again, this time asking me to extend my membership for 5 more years to help them defeat Obama and protect my 2nd ammendment rights to defend myself and my family.

Right now the NRA is celebrating their victory in the Iowa house where the ban on lead shot in the hunting of weed seed eating doves or fun was defeated ( with the help of Dave Heaton).

Since then I have been searching the web for studies that show keeping a gun in my house makes me and my family safer. I have not had much luck. In fact quite to the contrary many studies show that a gun in the house increases the risk over all of both homicide and suicide to occur in the house.

Linda L. Dahlberg et al., Guns in the Home and Risk of a Violent Death in the Home: Findings from a National Study, 160 Am. J. Epidemiology 929, 929, 935 (2004).

Douglas Wiebe, Homicide and Suicide Risks Associated with Firearms in the Home: A National Case-control Study, 41 Annals of Emergency Medicine 771 (June 2003).

http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun_violence_statistics.asp

Don't get me wrong, I do not want anyone taking my gun away but neither do I want to be blind to the risks of having one. 

I told the nice lady (this time a new one every bit as pleasant as the last one) that I appreciated the NRA's efforts to protect my second amendment rights. I also told her that promoting lead shot and dove hunting makes me question the priorities of the NRA. I did not agree to a $100 - 5 year membership extention.

Steve Wilson