OT: Americans love their guns

[Peter Hansen]

Dave Brueck wrote:
> 
> On Thursday 28 August 2003 12:40 pm, Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters wrote:
> > |The odds of getting killed that way are roughly the same as the odds
> > |that you'll die from aspirin or similar drugs
> >
> > No... this one is just way off.  According to above URL form:
> >
> >   2000, United States
> >   Adverse effects - Drugs Deaths and Rates per 100,000
> >   All Races, Both Sexes, All Ages
> >   ICD-10 Codes: Y40-Y59,Y88.0
> >
> >   Number of Deaths  Population  Crude Rate  Age-Adjusted Rate**
> >       255           275,264,999     0.09    0.09
> 
> Aren't statistics fun? :)
> 
> Think about it: even intuitively, 255 is *way* too low for a population of 275
> million (that's essentially zero - in a population that size 255 people
> probably die in sneezing-releated incidents every year) - I don't think that
> statistic represents what you think it represents.

Dave, I think you missed the "rates per 100,000" part, above.  That
means roughly 700,000 deaths for the population given, not 255.

-Peter