Gun Injuries Are Way Down In California Despite A Big Surge In Firearms Sales

Gun dealers in California sold about 250,000 more guns in 2011 than they did in 2002, but gun injuries have dropped to historically low levels.

While gun dealers sold about 600,000 guns in the state in 2011, the number of hospitalizations from gun injuries dropped from 4,000 in 2002 to 2,900 in 2011, The Sacramento Bee reported Sunday.

Gun-related deaths also dropped by about 13 percent during the same time period.

And while gun advocates told the Bee that a more well-armed citizenry can be credited with the lack of gun-related deaths, others aren't so sure.

Improved policing methods and changing demographics are more likely the causes behind the drop in gun injuries and deaths, crime researchers told the Bee.

And Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck seems to agree.

He told CBS News the drop in gun-related deaths was due to his department's five-year crackdown on gangs.

Despite the recent drop in gun-related deaths in California, firearms still accounted for more than half of homicides across the United States in 2011.

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