
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 16, 1990                   TAG: 9007160200
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOMICIDES

IF YOU ARE a male between 15 and 24 years old, the place you're in greatest danger of being slain is these United States. If you're black, the danger's greater yet.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that in 1987, 4,223 American males in that age group were homicide victims: a rate of 21.9 per 100,000. For young blacks, the rate was 85.6 per 100,000, up by 40 percent since 1984.

The 21.9 per 100,000 rate is more than four times the next highest national rate, Scotland's (5). New Zealand's is 4.4, Israel's 3.7. Lowest among 18 other (mostly Western industrial) nations is Austria's, 0.3.

And how were those killings carried out? In the United States, 75 percent were with firearms; in other countries, only 25 percent. What's one way to cut down on such killings? Unless you're a member of the gun lobby, you can draw the logical conclusion.

by CNB