We're still being dragged through the blood by the Brady folks and others who make a living by agitating to disarm us. None of us is surprised that this bout of hysteria is a little more intense and protracted than usual. The Colorado and Wisconsin killings were close in time, and if the anti-self-defense statists welcome one gory rally point, they find two exhilarating.

This comes to mind this morning because a blogroll friend   --  Guffaw, I just t remembered -- recently wrote that firearms deaths are statistically not terribly significant in the United States. That was in the back of my mind as I read a local report on the dangers of hydrocodone. It said 40 Americans die every day from abuse of FDA approved dope.

That number agrees with the Wiki report of just under 15,000 annual presrciption pain-killer fatalities.

Homicides committed with firearms? Fewer than 13,000.

Somebody mention this to Al Sharpton, just in case he ever decides he wants to get his priorities in some sort of logical order.