Gun Shot Injuries cost Govt. Billions in Healthcare

[Cheshire Cat]

While there is plenty of debate going on with regard to the ownership and licensing of firearms, another aspect to this discussion has resurfaced which is the cost of gun related injuries to taxpayers.  Certainly financial impact is far down the scale when it comes to human injury or death, but it does point out the fact that gun shot injuries are costly in more ways than one. 

The dollar amounts are very substantial and seem to point to another under discussed aspect of the rights to gun ownership.  It would appear that on the back end of gun ownership is the reality that if you own one or not in the U.S. you will be paying for injuries and deaths caused by guns both legally and illegally owned.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/04/gunshot-wounds-medicaid-insurance-costs/1956445/

To the sum of $564 per American. All told, firearm injuries cost the United States more than $174 billion in 2010, according to new data from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Most of that expense came from deaths; fatalities accounted for $153.3 billion.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2013/01/14/how-guns-and-violence-cost-every-american-564-in-2010/