GIGO

The CDC acknowledges its estimates are unreliable, but as it’s the nation’s premier public health agency, its figures are still widely used by researchers, journalists and the general public. [More]

And don't forget by lawmakers!

That's OK. As long as the object is to "look at guns, like what we did with cigarettes. Now it [sic] is dirty, deadly, and banned,” who needs facts when we can always create and then play on fear?

[Via Michael G]

UPDATE: Bear crunches some numbers.