Jihadist Terror Attacks in the U.S.

For way too long I have listened to presidential hopefuls in 2015/2016 scare us about the dangers of radical jihadists in our country. They come in both flavors. You hear more from Republicans, because they all scream it. But that lady Democrat shrills the same thing. Just go to her website and listen to her plans to crush ISIS.

The media aids and abets. Most people are scared silly because of Paris and San Bernardino, because the media played the blood and gore, over and over, until everyone was scared.

Well, enough is enough. Because the risk is very, very, low. Nobody talks about the real numbers. Here they are:

Since 9/11 (that is, not counting 9/11, since that was a one-time, skewing event), the number of people that have been killed in the U.S. due to violent, jihadist attacks: 45. The number killed in far right violent attacks: 48. See the tables here.

So you want to include 9/11? OK. Including 9/11, there have been 3,380 terrorism related deaths in the U.S. In the same period, there have been 406,490 deaths due to gun violence (see here)

Now before you get revved up about your guns, I am not saying anything about the rights or wrongs of guns, as related to those deaths. Only pointing out relative risks.

In an average year, about 3 people are killed by jihadists. In an average year, 41,149 commit suicide, 33,636 are killed by firearms, 29,001 die due to alcohol, 47,005 die to drug overdose, 18,893 die of prescription opiate overdose, 10,574 die to heroin overdose, and 0 die from marijuana overdose (see here). And 32,719 die in auto accidents.

Come on people, get a grip! Worry about something appropriate, and stop listening to the media and the politicians!