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| Image from source, CNN |
[Excerpt]
5 injured after firearms go off at Ohio, N.C., Indiana gun shows
At least five people -- three in North Carolina, one in Indiana and one in Ohio -- were injured after weapons went off at gun shows Saturday, officials said, at a time when there's been renewed discussion about private gun sales at such shows. . .
Read more at: CNN
Still far fewer than those injured and killed by automobiles.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, Dan. Also less than those killed by heart attacks. I'm not sure I get the comparison.
ReplyDeleteBut if we run with it: cars are licensed and insured. You have to have a license to drive them too, after training and passing a test. You have to renew your personal license and your license plates every year. There are even regulations about how the vehicle operates (legal markers, smog check, etc.). They can take your ability to drive your car away for violations or mental/physical issues. And most of all, human casualties from cars are almost always accidents, and are not a direct result of the purpose of the car.
Guns on the other hand, are often unlicensed. Owners don't have to train or pass a test. They don't require insurance. There are of course a few restrictions and requirements, but much less so, and much less consistant than those for cars. And guns are made for essentially one purpose: to kill things. Hunting: killing things. Target practice: practicing to kill things. Sport shooting: proficiency in the ability to kill things. Home protection: threatening to kill things that come into the home.
So, when a car kills somebody, it's an unfortunate and usually unplanned event. When a gun kills somebody, it's fulfilling its purpose (though of course, sometimes it's still an accident).