Angie Craig: “I will be very brief. Mr. President, in the context of what the Senator from Connecticut has said, let me read some…”

“I will be very brief. Mr. President, in the context of what the Senator from Connecticut has said, let me read some statistics from the National Safety Council injury fact sheet. I am talking about some very important statistics: Between 1993 and 2003, accidental or unintentional deaths by firearms has gone down 40 percent in America. Between 2002 and 2003, that reduction of accidental deaths has again gone down by 33 percent. Very significant numbers. Here also are other significant numbers that my colleagues would want to be aware of that are tremendously important. Total unintentional accidental deaths in America, 101,500 in 2003; motor vehicle deaths of that year, 44,000; falls at home and work and on the streets of America, 16,000; drownings, 13,000; fire and burns, 4,300; ingestion of food objects, 2,900; firearms was down into the number of 700. That is less than 1 percent. Here is what is most significant, because I don't take 700 unintentional accidental deaths by firearms lightly. But these are important statistics to understand as we look at the total scope of the legislation and even what the Senator from Connecticut said that I don't think pertains to this legislation. Here are the statistics from the National Safety Council. Accidental firearms-related fatalities have been consistently decreasing for many years. Primarily, statistics show accidental firearms-related fatalities decline by 13 percent in one category, 2002 to 2003.…”