Guns not largest cause of tragic deaths in U.S.

The "Only in America" caption on the cartoon published June 20 was an example of the misleading information that gun control groups use to try to further their cause.

In the case of the Ford Pinto, pictured in the cartoon, certain cars were recalled because of gas tank issues. The public then stopped buying the cars, so Ford stopped making them. The government didn't ban or outlaw the car.

Likewise with the Tylenol poisoning scare. The manufacturer pulled the bottles from shelves as a safety precaution - there was no government recall or talk of making it illegal to have Tylenol. And I can buy as much Tylenol today as I want.

Now, for the handgun caption. I won't argue the number of deaths stated, but it could be higher or lower depending on what source you use. Considering it is estimated there are hundreds of millions of guns, the number of guns used for killing represents about .01 percent of the total. Yet the gun control faction wants to ban all guns.

Now let's go back to the Pinto and cars in general. Tens of thousands of people - men, women and children - are killed every year in auto accidents, yet I don't hear anyone wanting to ban cars. The same with drugs - thousands of deaths every year are due to misuse or are crime related. But I don't see anyone pulling drugs off the shelves. And heroin, cocaine, meth - they have been illegal (recalled?) for years. We all know how well that is working.

Pete Mayhew

Rolling Meadows