Excellent post. I often use statistics shown in a different way to tempt people into looking at an issue from an alternative perspective and this an excellent use.
About the gun lobby, so powerful in US politics. I am sick of tired of hearing the 'people kill, not guns' argument as I truly believe this to be a logical fallacy and using this argument, looking at your statistics, they would probably conclude that also, 'people kill, not lawnmowers'. They would of course be correct, except to say that guns are designed for nothing else other than to kill people. Its their sole use.
It's also easier to kill with a gun than with a knife for instance (ready for the 'well we dont ban knives' bollocks), because psychologically, it's easier to shoot someone from any sort of distance as it is to get up close and personal and sink a knife into somebody, as well as adding that stab 100 people a second in a variety of ranges and angles as you can with a gun.
Shotguns are necessary for folks in the country and farmers to shoot vermin and predators but handguns and semi automatic weapons for fun ? FFS take up a new hobby, there are plenty to choose from.
Violence begets violence...the baddies have guns, the goodies get guns so the baddies get more and bigger guns etc etc etc....
Too long have the gun lobby used financial muscle to influence US politics. How many more kids do they want to die ? Wankers...A legally obtained AR15..seriously.