Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: Woman shot, killed at Walmart in Idaho by two-year-old son [View all]Starboard Tack
(11,181 posts)In a society where hundreds of millions of guns are in private hands, does it not make sense that, occasionally, there might actually be a positive outcome to a gun incident?
It would be incredible if that didn't happen, just as it would be incredible if thousands of children didn't get shot every year, many by accident and many of those shootings fatal.
These are the two extreme outcomes of shootings.
First, the "righteous" shooting, where the good guy kills the bad guy. Only problem there is, that I doubt anyone is 100% good or bad, right or wrong. Put guns in the mix and individuals are often pressured to decide, in an instant, whether to shoot and probably kill another person. May save a life by taking a life, ending in handcuffs or applause. Either way, there is no net gain for anyone, and a net loss for society as its fabric crumbles.
Then we have the "tragic" shootings. Murders, suicides and accidents.
Again, you seem to be impressed that the numbers are going down and that, somehow, the lowering of those numbers is directly related to there being more guns on the street. This is an absurd proposition, IMO. There is no evidence to support it. Hopefully, education has helped reduce the numbers, though the reduction is slight and the numbers are still outrageously high. It is pointless to compare accidental gun deaths with other accidental deaths. Some will say more kids die in swimming pool drownings. So what? Swimming pools are dangerous and kids require supervision, but pools are not designed to kill people anymore than popcorn is not designed to choke a kid, but may. Guns are actually designed, especially handguns, to kill humans. For that reason alone, they need extra special care, especially when near children or anyone.
Too many gun owners are too cavalier and sloppy and these tragedies occur. And too many may only constitute a fraction of one per cent of gun owners, but it is still too many. My message to gun owners is, if you want to keep your rights, then police your own. That begins by not blindly defending so-called "righteous shootings".