I see a petition for gun control posted on the Kos, with the shocking headline that 33,000 are killed by gun violence in the USA. The term “gun violence” leads us to think these are all murders. According to the FBI and other reliable authorities, the yearly gun homicide rate is under 9,000 and trending down. Most gun deaths are suicides. Certainly a violent death, but the issue is confused when reported in a way that suggests they are homicides. Likewise, the petition calls for a ban on “assault weapons”. Assault weapons are already very strictly controlled. Talking heads on the news refer to the assault weapons used in the San Bernardino shootings. The rifles used in San Bernardino were semi-automatics, which look like assault rifles, but are not. I just wish people had a little more caution with the facts, otherwise an already intractable argument becomes muddier.