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You know, studies show that keeping a ladder inside the house is more dangerous than a loaded gun. That's why I own ten guns, in case some maniac tries to sneak in a ladder.
- Grunkle Stan

I've been watching Gravity Falls and episode 10 contains this little gem. It sounds like one of those jokes that are actually true, but then again, it's a kids' show.

It seems that Grunkle Stan might be misinterpreting studies showing that falls from a ladder kill more people annually than guns (which is probably true). Or is he actually correct and a single ladder in the house is more dangerous than a single gun?

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    This isn't a serious claim. It is a joke. It isn't notable. [It also isn't clear.]
    – Oddthinking ♦
    Jan 4, 2018 at 15:05
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    @Oddthinking The fact that it was used in a joke doesn't mean it's not a serious claim. I do not think the show's writers just made it up. It's been incorporated into several internet memes and spread on picture forums. Also, seriously, how is it not clear?
    – JohnEye
    Jan 4, 2018 at 15:33
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    On the off chance that this gets re-opened, I'll put this link here: ishn.com/articles/100802-how-big-is-the-problem-of-ladder-falls. CDC tallies ~500 ladder-related deaths in the country a year (113 occupational, remainder household), a small fraction of gun deaths and fewer than accidental gun deaths. The 500,000 non-fatal ladder injuries may exceed non-fatal gun injuries, though. ishn.com/articles/100802-how-big-is-the-problem-of-ladder-falls
    – antlersoft
    Jan 4, 2018 at 15:41
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    @Jamiec Why do you think so? There is probably more than one metric to choose from, but antlersoft clearly demonstrated that it is not hard to deal with.
    – JohnEye
    Jan 4, 2018 at 15:46
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    If you think it is a widely believed claim, please link to a better source of it than this. It is unclear, because there are many possible interpretations - that Antlersoft's comment ignores. Which of these does it mean? 1) More people die from ladder falls than gun deaths in the USA [laughably false, despite your "probably true" rating], 2) What about other countries (with lower firearm death rates)? 3) There are more death due to ladders per ladder than there are due to guns per gun.
    – Oddthinking ♦
    Jan 4, 2018 at 16:23

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