Gun Control: This speaks for itself

IslandTractor · May 2, 2013

deathtoblackberries said:
Alcohol kills far more kids and adults than guns, where are the calls for alcohol control? Limits on the amount of alcohol one can purchase, limits on the size, registering alcohol purchasers, background checks to make sure drunks are not purchasing alcohol? How did the human race even survive before big government started protecting us from ourselves.

Excuse me, there are considerable controls on alcohol and if it were not for the alcohol lobby there would likely be more. Try driving drunk in Sweden and see what happens to you. Here you get a slap on the wrist. There are requirements that purveyors of alcoholic beverages not sell more to a drunk. See how long you keep your liquor license or business insurance if you break those rules. Oh, and before you bring up how cars kill people; yes, they do, and we therefore try to limit speed and legislate seatbelts, air bags and a number of other things to bring the death rate down. Successfully I might add. So where would we be without government regulations? A lot more of us would be dead for starters. When did the car companies ever add a safety device that wasn't mandated by a government regulation???

Dr_Zinj · May 2, 2013

That's not an issue of legal gun control. It's an issue of pathetically poor parenting. I'm pro-gun, 100% against a registration, 100% against being mandated to get government permission to sell or buy a firearm. But nobody in their right mind lets a 5 year old have a firearm without immediate hands on supervision. There doesn't need to be another law in this case. While the death of the 2 year old girl is a tragedy, appropriate punishment has already been inflicted on the guilty parties. Don't punish all the other gun owners for the stupidity of a couple of people.

Dr_Zinj · May 2, 2013

brin said:
... By the OP's logic we should control all knives, pencils, anything sharp, matches etc....What if the boy had tripped and stabbed his little sister with a pencil...could have happened ...every year kids fall on pencils...

Funny you should mention that. I had a classmate of mine turn around and drive a #2 lead pencil halfway through my bicep in High School. 'Course I deserved it. I'd been pelting him with spitballs for 5 minutes before that. Lesson learned. And I have a nice little dark spot on my arm to remind me every day.

IslandTractor · May 2, 2013

Dr_Zinj said:
That's not an issue of legal gun control. It's an issue of pathetically poor parenting. I'm pro-gun, 100% against a registration, 100% against being mandated to get government permission to sell or buy a firearm. But nobody in their right mind lets a 5 year old have a firearm without immediate hands on supervision. There doesn't need to be another law in this case. While the death of the 2 year old girl is a tragedy, appropriate punishment has already been inflicted on the guilty parties. Don't punish all the other gun owners for the stupidity of a couple of people.

I'm sorry, but I am not worried about nor do I give a crap about punishing the stupid parents. I'm concerned about preventing the next kid from being killed. What do you propose doing differently so that the risk is less in the future? Telling stupid people to lock up their guns obviously doesn't work.

Dr_Zinj · May 2, 2013

kiotiken said:
It would have prevented a 5 year old from owning a gun.
It would prevent a 5 year old from using anybody else's gun.
It would require any gun (with exception to the one on your person for CC holders) to be locked.

Actually, it would have criminalized those actions, not prevented them. While the 5 year old couldn't legally buy the gun himself, the law would not prevent someone from giving him physical possession of it. It would not have prevented that 5 year old from using anyone else's gun. Adam Lanza stole his mother's guns and killed her before he took off for the Newtown school. Locks slow kids (and thieves) down, they don't stop them. I ought to know, I'm moderately skilled at picking locks. And any lock can be cut, even by a 5 year old. What's worse, a 5 year old with a loaded gun, a 5 year old driving a 200hp farm tractor, or a 5 year old with an oxy-acetylene torch?

Pixguy · May 2, 2013

IslandTractor said:
I'm sorry, but I am not worried about nor do I give a crap about punishing the stupid parents. I'm concerned about preventing the next kid from being killed. What do you propose doing differently so that the risk is less in the future? Telling stupid people to lock up their guns obviously doesn't work.

With your thinking and because we cannot get all parents to buckle up all their kids in cars, we should be able to stop stupid people from driving....

Newark et al are red herrings?? Yet all their stats are included in the statistics on how many die in the US from firearms. Can't have it both ways.

Dr_Zinj · May 2, 2013

orezok said:
Well rats and mosquitos don't kill people, but the diseases they carry do. I guess that this means that we should allow rats and mosquitos the freedom to do as they will.

Actually, there are documented cases of rats killing infants.

brin · May 2, 2013

Dr_Zinj said:
Funny you should mention that. I had a classmate of mine turn around and drive a #2 lead pencil halfway through my bicep in High School. 'Course I deserved it. I'd been pelting him with spitballs for 5 minutes before that. Lesson learned. And I have a nice little dark spot on my arm to remind me every day.

Ouch....but I bet your school did not outlaw pencils or restrict them in any way...It is really curious to me how some folks think you can pass a feel good law for guns, pencils, DUI or whatever and all the problems will go away...You can punish behavior after the fact but little can be done before the fact when the act is against the law and stiff fines and punishment are in place..Life is full of risks...we cannot guarantee everyone a long and safe life...We would all have to live in a sterile prison like environment to assure saftey and even then I'm sure the evil ones would figure a way to kill, cripple or injure others and the solution would be too.....?????