My point is guns deaths are just as tragic as medical malpractice and drug interactions; same goes for auto accident deaths.
It's my opinion, that in some ways those deaths are even more drawn out, bloody and torturous. And that doesn't even take into account the suffering from experimental chemotherapy for cancer victims or the "living death" via junk food and the American "entertainment" industry.
Those things are much, much more common and few people disparage supermarkets, automobiles,TV and hospitals. In fact most people would argue that all of them have improved our lives and made the world a safer place.
It's my view that a gun is an intimate object - a tool - just like a syringe,Ford truck,TV and chocolate bar .
The fact is in the U.S., guns save lives. Well over 80% of the time when a firearm is discharged in self defense, a crime is adverted & the criminal flees. No one is killed.
Almost 200,000 women every year in the U.S. protect themselves against sexual abuse by using a gun, and without exception, in every state in the U.S. where concealed carry firearms are permitted - crime rate on the street and in public places drastically drops.
What's more I believe gun ownership (and proper training) for women and young girls is the single most important "woman's issue" for ALL women in the 21st century.
Without guns people are at the mercy of bullies and criminals. They have no way of fighting back to protect their lives or property.
An armed citizenry is the reason the American Empire will fail to conquer Iraq,Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Libya. Not to mention it's the reason we kicked our English cousin's butt right back across "the big pond". Sure you folks had guns - but so did we :-)
Fact is what happened at Columbine High School, Virgina Tech and in other tragic public shootings could have been prevented with armed teachers and students. Virgina Tech purposely disarmed the students with regulations and unconstitutional "laws". Those people had no way to protect themselves from a madman. Ditto Columbine. Charles Whitman at the University of Texas(Google if you don't know)was stopped from hurting and killing more people because other people and teachers were carrying guns.
And I think the tragedy of 9/11 could have been prevented if the US federal government had not prevented passengers or airline pilots from carrying concealed firearms. So I think guns are a good thing.I disagree with your inference that gun deaths can be stopped any more than tainted food deaths or ignorant doctors. I take exception when someone presents only a small part of the story.
So I'll get off my soapbox now and go away and leave you to it. Hope you have a wonderful day and get to spend it doing something you love or with those you care about. GM
GM, thanks for your considered response. I've come to realise that the arguments for and against gun control in the US are very complicated and I have not the knowledge or inclination to get involved in the detail. My proposition is simply that guns, unlike cars, medicine, swimming pools, junk food etc. are specifically designed to wound or kill and if your gun deaths exceed by a considerable margin those in comparable countries you should be worried about it. History & cultural attitudes might preclude an outright ban but there are plenty of other measures that could be tried to reduce the carnage.
"Well over 80% of the time when a firearm is discharged in self defense, a crime is adverted & the criminal flees. No one is killed.
Almost 200,000 women every year in the U.S. protect themselves against sexual abuse by using a gun, and without exception, in every state in the U.S. where concealed carry firearms are permitted - crime rate on the street and in public places drastically drops."
Aren't cars even worse?
ReplyDeleteHow many prescription drug deaths a year?
ReplyDeleteAround 100,000.
And that's just what we know about & can document.
So I figure maybe 1 million people- maybe more - have been killed by the medical establishment in the U.S. since 1999.
Conclusion:
Prescription medicine is way more dangerous than guns.
So carrying on shooting as normal then Granny Miller?
ReplyDelete"Normal"?
ReplyDeleteWhat's that?
My point is guns deaths are just as tragic as medical malpractice and drug interactions; same goes for auto accident deaths.
It's my opinion, that in some ways those deaths are even more drawn out, bloody and torturous. And that doesn't even take into account the suffering from experimental chemotherapy for cancer victims or the "living death" via junk food and the American "entertainment" industry.
Those things are much, much more common and few people disparage supermarkets, automobiles,TV and hospitals.
In fact most people would argue that all of them have improved our lives and made the world a safer place.
It's my view that a gun is an intimate object - a tool - just like a syringe,Ford truck,TV and chocolate bar .
The fact is in the U.S., guns save lives.
Well over 80% of the time when a firearm is discharged in self defense, a crime is adverted & the criminal flees. No one is killed.
Almost 200,000 women every year in the U.S. protect themselves against sexual abuse by using a gun, and without exception, in every state in the U.S. where concealed carry firearms are permitted - crime rate on the street and in public places drastically drops.
What's more I believe gun ownership (and proper training) for women and young girls is the single most important "woman's issue" for ALL women in the 21st century.
Without guns people are at the mercy of bullies and criminals. They have no way of fighting back to protect their lives or property.
An armed citizenry is the reason the American Empire will fail to conquer Iraq,Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Libya.
Not to mention it's the reason we kicked our English cousin's butt right back across "the big pond". Sure you folks had guns - but so did we :-)
Fact is what happened at Columbine High School, Virgina Tech and in other tragic public shootings could have been prevented with armed teachers and students. Virgina Tech purposely disarmed the students with regulations and unconstitutional "laws". Those people had no way to protect themselves from a madman. Ditto Columbine.
Charles Whitman at the University of Texas(Google if you don't know)was stopped from hurting and killing more people because other people and teachers were carrying guns.
And I think the tragedy of 9/11 could have been prevented if the US federal government had not prevented passengers or airline pilots from carrying concealed firearms.
So I think guns are a good thing.I disagree with your inference that gun deaths can be stopped any more than tainted food deaths or ignorant doctors.
I take exception when someone presents only a small part of the story.
So I'll get off my soapbox now and go away and leave you to it.
Hope you have a wonderful day and get to spend it doing something you love or with those you care about.
GM
GM, thanks for your considered response. I've come to realise that the arguments for and against gun control in the US are very complicated and I have not the knowledge or inclination to get involved in the detail. My proposition is simply that guns, unlike cars, medicine, swimming pools, junk food etc. are specifically designed to wound or kill and if your gun deaths exceed by a considerable margin those in comparable countries you should be worried about it. History & cultural attitudes might preclude an outright ban but there are plenty of other measures that could be tried to reduce the carnage.
ReplyDelete"Well over 80% of the time when a firearm is discharged in self defense, a crime is adverted & the criminal flees. No one is killed.
ReplyDeleteAlmost 200,000 women every year in the U.S. protect themselves against sexual abuse by using a gun, and without exception, in every state in the U.S. where concealed carry firearms are permitted - crime rate on the street and in public places drastically drops."
Citation, please/
No harm in asking :)
ReplyDeleteIn 1996, Australia banned semi-automatics. In the 18 years before, there were 13 mass shootings. Since then, none.
ReplyDelete