Sam Hemingway

Free Press Staff Writer

Guns accounted for more deaths in Vermont in 2011 than motor vehicle accidents, a first-time occurrence that national gun control groups say is proof stricter laws regulating gun purchase and ownership are needed.

According to a study released this week by the Violence Policy Center in Washington D.C., Vermont had 78 gun deaths in 2011, compared to 54 fatal car accidents as reported by the Governor's Highway Safety Program.

In all, gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 14 states, the study found. Vermont was a first-time addition to the list.

"Gun violence is a public health crisis with an unacceptable toll on human life," Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center said in a statement as the group released its study. "To reduce gun death and injury, firearms must be regulated for health and safety just as we regulate motor vehicles and all other consumer products."

Evan Hughes, vice president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, said such a move would be unnecessary, especially in a state regarded as one of the safest in the nation.

"The federation tries not to get emotional about these things," Hughes said. "We know that we are one of the safest states and, in terms of hunting, it's one of the safest sports there is."

It was unclear whether the policy group's finding for Vermont was an anomaly — the number of people who died in car accidents in 2011 was the lowest in 67 years — or that gun deaths have increased while highway deaths stayed the same or declined.

According to the Governor's Highway Safety Council, Vermont car accident deaths ranged between 66 and 73 in the four years preceding 2011. The number was 77 in 2012 and 71 in 2013.

Gun deaths, meanwhile, rose from 52 to 78 during the period 2007-2011, according to the state Health Department. Figures for 2012 and 2013 were not available.

The Health Department data indicated nearly all the gun deaths in Vermont are the result of suicides. In 2011, just four of the 78 gun deaths were homicides. In 2010, two of the 70 gun deaths were homicides.

Guns are also incrementally becoming the most common method for carrying out suicides in Vermont. In 2007, 59 percent of all suicides were by gun. By 2010, the latest year for which the information was available, the figure had risen to 65 percent.

"That does not surprise me," said state Rep. Linda Waite-Simpson, D-Essex. "There are actually studies that show you can intercede with someone who intends to kill themselves with pills or by cutting, but with firearms, it's almost always instantly fatal."

Waite-Simpson was among three lawmakers who sponsored legislation addressing various concerns about the ease of access to guns in Vermont. The state has some of the more permissive gun laws in the country.

All three failed to pass, including Waite-Simpson's initiative that would have required safer storage options for gun owners. She introduced the bill after the teenage son of a constituent killed himself with a gun located in a friend's home. The gun had not been securely stored.

"To me, this is a public safety issue," she said. "We've worked on highway safety, we're tackling the opiate problem, but somehow we're not able to talk about guns."

Keith Flynn, the state Public Safety Commissioner, said he's concerned about a jump in the state's overall suicide rate.

Vermont's suicide rate increased by nearly 60 percent between 1999 and 2010, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.

"I find that really troubling," Flynn said. "I want to know why people are making the choice they're making. That's the bigger issue. We're not identifying these people and getting them the help they need."

Contact Sam Hemingway at 660-1850 or shemingway@freepressmedia.com. Follow Sam on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SamuelHemingway.

Year Motor vehicledeaths gundeaths 2011 54 78 2010 71 70 2009 73 60 2008 73 52 2007 66 52

Source: Vermont Health Department, Governor's Highway Safety Program