a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  3814 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: A map showing each of the 74 school shootings since Sandy Hook

Try again. The phrase you're looking for is "slightly misleading" -- with the caveat that gun control activists are right ... so it's hard to dismiss these 74 cases because they weren't always "school shootings" but rather instances of gun violence.

Lying? Nope. Inducing fear? I sure as fuck hope so. I am afraid of guns (or, more accurately, the combination of guns and gun owners) and so should we all.





kuracisto  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'm sorry, counting the police shooting at a guy as he's running by a school as a "school shooting." is more than misleading. It's flat out lying.

Why on earth should I be afraid of my gun? It's a tool, like anything else. Frankly, I know about 10 times as many people who have been maimed or killed by a chainsaw than have been injured or killed by a gun. And, that's actually true nationwide. Wisdom -- and statistics -- would dictate that I be more concerned by my chainsaw than I am by my gun.

WE NEED MORE CHAINSAW CONTROL BEFORE MORE INNOCENT MEN DIE!!!

b_b  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Two things. 1) There are roughly similar numbers of chainsaw incidents as gun incidents each year in the US. Not sure if by nationwide you're referencing the US, but if so, you need to fact check a bit. 2) The fact that there are 100,000+ chainsaw related incidents in the US each year does pretty much say that you should be very afraid of your chainsaw; it's a very dangerous tool, and probably does require that most people who use them get some extra training. The main difference is that most people who are injured or killed using a chainsaw bring the casualty upon themselves. A gun has the whole murder/attempted murder thing that accounts for a fair number of its incidents. Kind of a qualitative difference, IMO.

kleinbl00  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Also worthy of note: injuries and fatalities due to chainsaws are tertiary to the purpose of chainsaws. Injuries and fatalities due to handguns reflect the direct purpose of handguns. If a Sig Sauer ran a high probability of leading you bleeding out in a field if you misused it BUT also turned trees into firewood with alacrity, the conversation would be very different indeed.

user-inactivated  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'm not afraid of guns. I'm afraid of people who don't know how to use guns safely, and people who aren't in the correct state of mind to use a gun. Enforcement of gun-safety policies in the US is difficult. It's easy to give someone a gun, but very difficult to take it back.

user-inactivated  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

That's fine. Personally, I'm afraid of guns. I don't think I will ever be in a situation where a gun is also present that I feel particularly good about. Guns are far, far too efficient at killing for my taste.

kleinbl00  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

It's a tool with a very, very specific purpose. That purpose is substantially more specialized than most fans presume. If it's venison season, I don't mind having a gun around. Although a bow is probably better 'cuz the season is longer.

I had an SKS in high school. It was empowering, which is a big fat warning sign. Now I have a toddler in the house; I'm terrified that she'll eat a magnet. I'd be a nervous wreck if there were any ammunition-bearing device in the house. Shit, I'm glad the paintball marker has no gas.

user-inactivated  ·  3813 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Ban rare-earth magnets from your household.

EDIT: I should note that I'm not particularly a fan of hunting. For sport, of course, but also to an extent for sustenance. I don't pass judgment but it's not something I would do. I'm honestly not sure it's worth the time you have to spend handling a dangerous firearm.

I have been wrestling with vegetarianism recently and decided to go with about 95%. As a moral stand it may fall short, but for practical (health, industry support) purposes 95% is 95% as good as 100. So I'm happier now.