By Jim Shepherd

When an lone gunman went on a murder spree in the sleepy little town of Samson, Alabama on March 10, it didn't take long for the 5-officer police department to be overwhelmed.

When the enormity of the act started to sink in, the town put out the call for help from all the police departments in the area.

Now, an inquiry is underway to determine just who called for - or authorized - twenty two active-duty military police officers from Fort Rucker, Alabama who patrolled the streets and helped out with civilian police duties.

The United Sportsmen of Florida have compiled two fact sheets that provide a wealth of insight into the safety of gun ownership, hunting and shooting.

Citing data sources including the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Safety Council, the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and firearms industry reports, the 2009 Fact Sheet on Firearms Accidents proves that despite a doubling of our country's population since 1930, and a quintupling in the number of privately owned firearms, the annual number of accidental firearms deaths has decreased 75%. In fact, the fatal firearm accident rate has decreased 92% since the all-time high recorded in 1904.