Much more dangerous than guns:
Authorities in South Texas say a 7-year-old girl who collapsed at her elementary school choked to death on a balloon.
San Benito police say preliminary autopsy results show Ruby Ramirez died of asphyxiation.
This is actually a VERY serious hazard, and you’ll note that any balloon packaging comes with a warning not to let children play with them unsupervised.
The Journal of the American Medical Association reported in its Dec. 13, 1995, issue that of the 373 children who died between 1972 and 1992 after choking on children’s products, nearly a third choked on latex balloons. Most of the children were 8 or younger. In a review of 1995 fatalities, the Consumer Products Safety Commission found that children had inhaled latex balloons whole (often while trying to inflate them) or choked on fragments of broken balloons….Dr. Eichelberger recommended using the Heimlich maneuver only if the airway is completely obstructed. Otherwise, dial 911 or get to an emergency room, where doctors have equipment to clear the airway. But the safest thing is to not give young children latex balloons in the first place.
Compare that with gun accidents, and note that many of them come from hunting accidents, and not from negligent behavior in the home, and the age range, and these are far more deadly. Also note that “Gun Deaths” from “Children” are generally ages 16-24 (which at the upper bracket aren’t exactly children), and most of those deaths are in fact suicides or homicides directly related to the illegal drug trade!
h/t Bob
That’s pretty sad, especially since it seemed to happen so fast, not because she was left unsupervised for hours or something.