January 9, 201313 yr I'd have more faith in the mental health evaluation suggestion if it were a requirement for gun ownership as a whole. I put NO faith in relying in the safeguards as already it is assumed that gun owners will safely store and handle their arms. Yet we consistently read and hear of guns that children got hold of and shot either themselves or another child or adult. We consider those incidents "tragic accidents". There are no automatic repercussions for not ensuring the safe storage of arms and ammunition. Most gun owners are never charged for their firearms misuse or unsafe storage. Personally, I think it's criminal negligence at the very least. But I would rather see even tougher automatic charges that would be in effect immediately. After investigation, they may in fact be found to have had no fault or at fault to a lesser degree. I assume you'd likewise want even tougher automatic charges that would be in effect immediately against parents that leave children in hot cars when the parents go into stores; or let young children drive ATVs without helmets; or let children ride in cars without their seatbelts attached; etc., etc. I'd be real interested in knowing if more kids are killed as a result of firearms misuse and unsafe storage than are killed as a result of not wearing a seatbelt when they are riding as passengers in cars driven by adults. Heck I wonder if more kids aren't killed as a result of being left in a car on a hot day than are killed as a result of firearms misuse and unsafe storage. Dont' know the numbers but I'd be surprised if my hunches were incorrect. Unless a lot more kids die as a result of misuse or unsafe storage than other causes, I see no reason why society should have tougher penalties and standards for firearm misuse and unsafe storage than it does for parents that don't buckle their children up in cars; etc. And I get your point about parents that allow kids to accidentally have access to firearms and I'm in agreement with you (my firearms are locked in a gun safe to this day and our "kids" are 24 and 21 respectively). But if we are going to more zealously prosecute those parents that negligently endanger kids' lifes, there is no reason to single out firearm accidents when kids are killed or severely injured as a result of parents' other negligent actions. I read in another of your posts that you thought all guns should be registered. I'm not sure how that would prevent mass shootings, homicides or even accidental deaths or injuries. Only benefit I see is that it could possibly help solve crimes, but I don't see it preventing them. Am I missing something? Same goes with training. Would training prevent any mass shootings or homicides? I can understand the argument that training (if it covered safe storage) could help prevent accidents.Then again, locking up firearms so kids can't get access to them is such common sense, if a parent isn't already doing it, I seriously doubt that covering the topic in some training course is going to change a parent's behavior. But maybe it would. I get the oft repeated point about a driver's license being required to drive a car, so a license should be required to own a gun. Actually a driver's license is not required to drive a car on private property. If I buy a jeep and only drive it on my farm, I'm not required to have a driver's license because I'm not using it on public property or roads. I'd probably be fine with a similar requirement for carrying firearms on public property if it came to that. Unless a person has a concealed carry license, a firearm must be affirmatively locked and disabled while it's on public property. That wouldn't bother me at all; except fot he fact that seriouslyI doubt that it would prevent any mass shootings, homicides or even accidental deaths. Those bent on using firearms to commit a crime, would just ignore the disabling requirement and commit an additional crime. When I was a young lad (10 years old), my father had me shoot a .410 shotgun into a ripe pumpkin. Blew a pretty big hole out the back side. I thought it was cool until Dad sternly told me: "that's what my head will look like if you are careless and the gun goes off accidentally". Left quite the impression on me. I used the same lesson on both of my sons when they were young. I've taught both of them gun safety from a very young age. I de-mystified guns to them because I let them shoot guns a lot when they were young. They learned at an early age to respect guns and that guns weren't toys. It was drilled into their heads that if they ever come across a gun at someone else's house (wasn't possible for it to happen in mine for the reason stated above), they were to run home and let Henry or me know. The NRA has some great programs that they take into schools to teach those same lessons. Unfortunately, too many school systems won't allow the NRA into the classrooms to teach gun safety to kids. Administators are either anti gun or anti NRA. Dang shame, as I wonder how many kids would be alive today if they had been taught the danger of guns and the need to respect them.
January 9, 201313 yr Feinstein legislation: Assault Weapons - Issues - United States Senator Dianne Feinstein Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of: 120 specifically-named firearms Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one military characteristic Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds. Where is there a complete list of guns she wants banned?
January 9, 201313 yr Feinstein legislation: Assault Weapons - Issues - United States Senator Dianne Feinstein Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of: 120 specifically-named firearms Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one military characteristic Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds. Per the Senator's website, since 2004 "assault weapons" have caused less than 50 deaths per year and less than 60 injuries (of undisclosed severity) per year. While any death and any serious injury is tragic, should we take the freedom to own a certain style of weapon away from law abiding citizens to prevent less than 50 deaths and 60 injuries a year? I'm being serious here: wouldn't we save more lifes each year if we passed a law prohibiting over weight individuals from being able to purchase french fries and fatty fast foods? If we prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol? If we prohibited the sale and use of tobacco? If we required governors to be installed on all vehicles so no vehicle could exceed 70 mph? With many more people dying or being seriously injured each year from causes other than "assault weapons", what is it about assault weapons that causes so many people to want to ban them and seemingly ignore those things that cause many more deaths and injuries each year? I just don't understand the logic. I really don't. Look at this chart: [TABLE=class: wikitable] Annual number of deaths in the United States and causes[TR] [TH]Cause[/TH] [TH]Number[/TH] [TH]Percent of total[/TH] [TH]Notes[/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Smoking tobacco[/TD] [TD]435,000[5][/TD] [TD]18.1%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Being overweight and obesity[/TD] [TD]111,909[8][/TD] [TD]4.6%[/TD] [TD]There was considerable debate about the differences in the numbers of obesity-related diseases. The numbers reported in the referenced article have been found to be the most accurate.[9][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Alcohol[/TD] [TD]85,000[5][/TD] [TD]3.5%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Infectious diseases[/TD] [TD]75,000[5][/TD] [TD]3.1%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Toxic agents including toxins, particulates and radon[/TD] [TD]55,000[5][/TD] [TD]2.3%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Preventable medical errors in hospitals[/TD] [TD]44,000 to 98,000[10][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD]Estimates vary, significant numbers of preventable deaths also result from errors outside of hospitals.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Traffic collisions[/TD] [TD]43,000[5][/TD] [TD]1.8%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Firearms deaths[/TD] [TD]29,000[5][/TD] [TD]1.2%[/TD] [TD]Suicide: 16,586; homicide: 10,801; Accidents: 776; Legal intervention: 270; Unknown: 230[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sexually transmitted infections[/TD] [TD]20,000[5][/TD] [TD]0.8%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Drug abuse[/TD] [TD]17,000[5][/TD] [TD]0.7%[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Over half of the fire arm deaths were a result of suicide, leaving roughly 11,000 people dead each year as a result of using a firearm to commit a homicide. That's not just using an Assault Weapon, that's using all firearms. Heck, more than that number die each year as a result of sexually transmitted infections! The Senator would save more lives each year if she proposed a bill banning sex. Heck, those clamoring for the legalization of drugs need to take note that more people die of drug abuse than are murdered with firearms each year.
January 9, 201313 yr Per the Senator's website, since 2004 "assault weapons" have caused less than 50 deaths per year and less than 60 injuries (of undisclosed severity) per year. While any death and any serious injury is tragic, should we take the freedom to own a certain style of weapon away from law abiding citizens to prevent less than 50 deaths and 60 injuries a year? I'm being serious here: wouldn't we save more lifes each year if we passed a law prohibiting over weight individuals from being able to purchase french fries and fatty fast foods? If we prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol? If we prohibited the sale and use of tobacco? If we required governors to be installed on all vehicles so no vehicle could exceed 70 mph? With many more people dying or being seriously injured each year from causes other than "assault weapons", what is it about assault weapons that causes so many people to want to ban them and seemingly ignore those things that cause many more deaths and injuries each year? I just don't understand the logic. I really don't. Look at this chart: [TABLE=class: wikitable] Annual number of deaths in the United States and causes[TR] [TH]Cause[/TH] [TH]Number[/TH] [TH]Percent of total[/TH] [TH]Notes[/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Smoking tobacco[/TD] [TD]435,000[5][/TD] [TD]18.1%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Being overweight and obesity[/TD] [TD]111,909[8][/TD] [TD]4.6%[/TD] [TD]There was considerable debate about the differences in the numbers of obesity-related diseases. The numbers reported in the referenced article have been found to be the most accurate.[9][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Alcohol[/TD] [TD]85,000[5][/TD] [TD]3.5%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Infectious diseases[/TD] [TD]75,000[5][/TD] [TD]3.1%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Toxic agents including toxins, particulates and radon[/TD] [TD]55,000[5][/TD] [TD]2.3%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Preventable medical errors in hospitals[/TD] [TD]44,000 to 98,000[10][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD]Estimates vary, significant numbers of preventable deaths also result from errors outside of hospitals.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Traffic collisions[/TD] [TD]43,000[5][/TD] [TD]1.8%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Firearms deaths[/TD] [TD]29,000[5][/TD] [TD]1.2%[/TD] [TD]Suicide: 16,586; homicide: 10,801; Accidents: 776; Legal intervention: 270; Unknown: 230[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sexually transmitted infections[/TD] [TD]20,000[5][/TD] [TD]0.8%[/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Drug abuse[/TD] [TD]17,000[5][/TD] [TD]0.7%[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Over half of the fire arm deaths were a result of suicide, leaving roughly 11,000 people dead each year as a result of using a firearm to commit a homicide. That's not just using an Assault Weapon, that's using all firearms. Heck, more than that number die each year as a result of sexually transmitted infections! The Senator would save more lives each year if she proposed a bill banning sex. Heck, those clamoring for the legalization of drugs need to take note that more people die of drug abuse than are murdered with firearms each year. Not to mention the 1.3 MILLION abortions performed a year. That number dwarfs all others.
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