To the Editor:

Sixty-seven percent of Americans support expanded background checks. Fact: Those statistics came from a pair of surveys reported by gun control group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, who has been caught stacking survey responses by polling left-of-center mailing lists. The numbers are totally false.

Fact: 90% of all violent crimes in the U.S. do not involve firearms of any type.

Fact: Fewer than 1% of firearms will ever be used in the commission of a crime.

Fact: Two-thirds of the people who die each year from gunfire are criminals being shot by other criminals.

Fact: Cincinnati’s review of its gang problem revealed that 74% of homicides were committed by less than 1% of the population.

Fact: 92% of gang murders are committed with guns. Gangs are responsible for between 48% and 90% of all violent crimes.

Fact: Most gun crimes are gang related, and as such are big-city issues. In fact, if mayors in larger cities were more diligent about controlling gang warfare, state and nationwide gun violence rates would fall dramatically.

Fact: Fewer than 5% of traced guns came from neighboring states.

• 71% of gunshot victims had previous arrest records.
• 64% had been convicted of a crime.
• Each had an average of 11 prior arrests.

Fact: Suicides count for 69% of all gun shootings.

Fact: Guns in suicides are 99% legally purchased.

Fact: The AR15 is not a so-called assault weapon.

Fact: The AR 15 is not a military weapon.

Fact: Increasing the index of the gun laws in a state by 20 percentage points is associated with an increase in the total death rate.

Just the real facts.

Thomas Falconieri Sr.

Limestone Road, June 1