Guns don't kill people, BULLETS DO!

 Dear Readers:

(Sorry, my bad, there was ONE guy in Newark last year who died of his wounds after being "pistol-whipped!)

Your humble reporter never thought to phrase a question about gun control in quite this manner, (Mostly because it's stupid!) but since someone has ......, I like this answer from Quora Digest!

Why is America's Car Culture, which kills 40,000 people per year, okay, but its Gun Culture, which kills far fewer, of such great concern?

Guest Post by Craig Berger  Screenwriter

I wish I could be introduced to whoever taught logic to people who ask questions on Quora so I could smack him in the mouth. By this logic, anything that kills fewer people than something we find we must accept should not be of great concern. So if war kills more people than cancer, why should we worry about cancer, right?

But to answer the question I think you're asking, which is why society doesn't impose or try to impose harsh control laws on cars the way some want it to on guns, the answer is, again, your premise is faulty. Cars have to endure rigorous safety standards, and to be allowed to drive one, you need to pass a series of tests, including a field test, a written test, and an eye test. You're also required to register your vehicle, wear a seat belt, and obey posted speed limits, traffic officers, and road signs. Relative to this, the safety requirements for manufacturers, sellers, and users of guns are relatively light. Even if they were equivalent though, this would be okay, despite the fact that more people are killed in vehicular accidents, because guns, WHEN USED CORRECTLY, kill people (or animals). Cars do not. Also, you wish to sidestep the issue of utility, and I don't blame you, because it's a big one. Car use dramatically improves the quality of life for a large segment of the population. You may like your guns, but unless you're a hunter with no other means for getting food, or you are a member of law enforcement or the military, there is a high likelihood you will never really need to use one.

COMMENTS: (Some of these are thoughtful and insightful, and others are just as stupid as the people who made them! -Ed.)

*My family, as 4 people in a family unit, not individually, has owned no less than 10 guns as a whole, sometimes more. Each of us at least owned one. In my 44 years of life, I've never heard any of my family members tell me, "Thank god we had guns in the house! We had to shoot/threaten to shoot an intruder just the other day!" My entire neighborhood suffered no break-ins during the 10+ years I lived there when I got my own gun. We don't need guns. People like that just want them. They don't live in Africa, Mexico, Pakistan, the islands around the Philippines, Yemen, shall I go on? The chances of them needing to protect themselves with a gun are extremely low. If their neighborhood is such a constant war zone, stop spending money on guns and bullets and save that cash to move somewhere safer. Cripes!

*For most gun owners, when used correctly, guns kill cans and bottles, clay targets, or put holes in cardboard or paper. The majority of firearms owners are neither hunters nor particularly concerned with self-defense. Instead, they shoot recreationally. You should try it.

 

*One *serious* issue is senior drivers. We really need to start testing them in behind the wheel tests every few years once they hit 70. It's not uncommon for me to see seniors driving who can't see more than a few feet, with the reaction speed of frozen molasses, and the coordination of someone with a 5% Blood alcohol level. People honestly do take for granted how deadly cars are whereas with guns, people tend to afford them the necessary respect and caution.

*Did the horrible man who killed those poor Marines have a right to bear arms under the Constitution? Discuss...In the coming future the variables of life will change.  You cannot this day comprehend that you yourself will need a gun.  Acceptable thinking for you as one individual living, where ever it is you are. 

*The future has other ideas.  let's take mother nature and top tier predators.
Last year I was on some forum where the issue was how non dangerous bears are(then).  One commentator made the statement that  no one had been attacked by a bear is decades and that any danger was over stated.  This year there have been several attacks and people killed.   Most people do not realize the danger because they have been lulled by TV.  A bear can break into your house or ca with ease.  Then there are human criminals.  Maybe you will never need a gun.  But maybe you will never need a hammer or any power tool.  It is far better to have and not need than to need and not have.

*...and a very high probability that you use a car - often to get to where you can use a gun.

*Maybe the original post was tongue in cheek, but the rate of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities in the US is unacceptably high and the issue deserves more attention.  In the long term, you may live to see the use of driver-controlled vehicles restricted in favor of autonomous vehicles.

*Guns now kill more people than cars. Cars are well-regulated. In 42 states anyone can buy semi a automatic rifles jin private sales with no record,no background checks!  Since guns now kill more people that cars, why are they unregulated  in private sales?