They just make it a lot easier.
I wish this could spread to counter the NRA version along with the "cold dead fingers" and all the others. I will keep on keeping on trying to influence and change opinion and culture on this. All I can hope is that a few people will find it here.
Here are a couple of interesting articles. The first from James Fallows at The Atlantic. The second is from the Onion (yes, the Onion - h/t HF)
More US Citizens have been killed by guns than by 9/11 and all the wars since - suicide, accidents, murder - by magnitudes. Source: Politifacts.
And before all the 2nd Amendment folks jump in here, let me just say that if the 2nd Amendment says what the NRA thinks it says, then it ought to me amended.
P.S. I own guns. I just have no problem if they are better regulated.
I've said my piece.
Addendum
Later - same day.
One of my daughters-in-law recommended this op-ed from the Washington Post. I sure like my kids-in-law!
I don't think the Founding fathers meant for Americans to massacre each other in schools, shopping malls and theaters; time for the government to enforce the "provide for the common defense" a little more, and the "right to bear arms" a little less.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really don't think they meant us to have arms to shoot up the government. As a federal employee, I'm still a little sensitive about Oklahoma City. Just like those faithful and patriotic civil servants, I sit in a federal building every day trying to follow the law to promote the self-determination of Indian Tribes and help administer the public lands for the benefit of all the people under multiple use. I don't think I deserve to be shot or blown up for that.
DeleteEven if they did mean it as a means to rise up and overthrow a tyrannical government (as in, Great Britain at the time), that would only be through a "well-regulated militia" maybe a state militia - now the national guard. But the development of our country and obviously the Civil War, should have put us beyond that.
But it is okay to use bombs?
DeleteThe 2nd amendment is clear. It declares that individuals have the right to bear arms.
We want all things used responsibly, whether it be fertilizer (the bombs) or firearms.
Restricting arms more than the current 20,00 laws has not helped. The recent tragedy was a result of numerous broken laws.
DeleteNumerous studies and common experience has demonstrated that civilians being armed has strongly supported the common good.
In nearly all cases the time it takes for the police to respond means they can only to clean up what mess is left. Police cannot be expected to protect individuals.
Several recent incidents have demonstrated that possible mass murders were stopped by either armed civilians or off duty police. But since few , if any were killed, the media not widely reported such heroic acts. In the last month, we could have seen 4 times the tragedy if the current proposals were in effect.
It helps to realize that although England's murder rate is lower than our, they are over 4 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime.
It would be nice to see your statistics, Mr. Anonymous, because I have serious doubts about your alleged facts. We'll leave it here for people to judge on their own.
DeleteThe CDC keeps pretty good record on firearm deaths (all deaths for that matter).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm
Firearm deaths are pretty low on the list. In fact, that subcategory (Firearms that is) suicide is about 2/3 (~66%) of the deaths. I think for 2009 it was like ~33,000 deaths so ~11,000 (~3.6 per 100,000) deaths by firearm homicide. Not a figure to laugh at but in the grand scheme of things its pretty darn low. Although the report is for 2009 it was published in October 2012. Data trickles.