“Too much focus on guns?”

I believe I have stated my position on how I personally feel about the use of guns and the ability of people to possess them. I have no problem with people who purchase guns for hunting, going to the range etc… among other activities when they are within a reasonable limit. That being said I do believe that we need to take a serious look at the types, calibers, magazine sizes that we allow the average consumer to purchase. We need to make sure that we have an educated discussion on these topics and avoid falling into the current US bickering of Pro guns vs. anti guns. If you need fully-automatic rifle to hunt, then you should probably quit because its simply unnecessary (with certain exceptions like boar hunting in Texas). If you need a weapon strictly for the purpose of protection then I don’t believe you should have one. Weapons kept for protection are more likely to be used against the owner then if there was no weapon at all. I think we need to continue to talk about these and find a common ground that will make the majority happy. There was a quote in Tbnewswatch from a gun owner who feels that they are ‘misunderstood’ and almost ‘victimized’ by society. This coming after school shootings have become a almost weekly occurrence in our southern neighbor and after decades of changes to put more emphasis on gun safety and proper ownership.

“When I was a young fella I used to get on the school bus with my (.22-calibre) rifle because the range was in the school. Now, that would be a SWAT team event,”

Yeah, it was also acceptable at one time too for women to be viewed as objects rather then people and to own people as slaves. As over the top as those examples are they are both examples of things that were accepted in the past but aren’t and shouldn’t be into the future. The schools realized that it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to have rambunctious kids sitting on a bus with guns and bringing them here, there and everywhere. The possibility for being held liable and the potential harm to other kids simply isn’t worth it to have something like that continuing to run. Gun deaths have been reduced substantially since this man was a child and was able to carry his gun around everywhere. Stiffer gun laws have helped to get guns out of the hands of people and kids who simply don’t understand the power of a weapon. Do I feel that society is a little oversensitive these days, yes. Different areas of the country likely need a different response to a gun call but the ease of access for handguns coming from the states is a major concern. Teaching the potential consequences of playing with guns be it airsoft or real should be something that police, schools and parents try to teach their kids. I personally feel much safer now that people aren’t walking around carrying their weapons like its a cellphone and a trigger happy citizen can’t pull a weapon on me.

Among males, the 2002 rate was 4.9 deaths per 100,000, down from 10.6 in 1979. Among females, it was 0.3, down from 1.2. http://www.cbcnews.ca

My favorite quote from the pro-gun side is this

“Even though he admitted it was a tired cliche, he said guns don’t hurt people. Rather, people hurt people

This is true a gun in an inanimate object that cannot make decisions for itself. Although if a gun is loaded and dropped hard enough it could go off so and potentially kill someone so I guess its only slightly true. People are in the end the decision makers which is why I believe that more people should be tested for gun ownership, testing should be harder to complete. We should also limit things like magazine round sizes, total number of ammunition allowed and severe fines for those that disobey the laws. I have friends that have done military service and can change a magazine in 5 seconds and they ask does it make a difference? I believe it does because every second that person is reloading and not firing is an opportunity for people to escape. This phrase causes concern for me because it feels like that the person is so beyond being able to talk too about gun safety, gun regulation and gun laws that it isn’t worth your time.

If we were to go a little deeper into another metaphor then I think we can see which one is the most potentially harmful of the group.

In this image we have a gun compared to a pencil, a fork and a car. A gun is a purpose designed object that projects ballistics at a high rate of speed. It was designed to kill other people/animals or destroy objects and has adapted to do that better. It serves no other purpose other then what it was designed for. A pencil is a tool designed to write with, it slowly becomes smaller until it is no longer around. While it could be potentially dangerous it takes serious intent and force to severely harm another person with. A fork is a tool designed to help make eating easier. While yes, it could be dangerous to another human being it was never designed to take human lives or destroy animals (just the ones you cooked up). A car is designed to move people, materials, goods, from point A to point B. It has a higher fatality/injury rate then guns due to the ease of availability but is not purpose designed to cause harm to others. In fact car designers work incredible hard to design safe cars that protect their passengers and the people around them.

To me based on purpose built design the danger level goes like this pencil -> fork -> car -> gun. None of the other objects mentioned in that photo are designed to kill someone/something else. So I don’t understand why this is even being used by the pro gun lobby. It simply looks stupid!

I have to thank The Young Turks for this one. They truly hit the nail on the head for the response to this comment by the interviewed.

Pointing to the recent Kumming Station massacre in China, where more than 30 people were stabbed to death by at least 10 assailants, Kuznak said eliminating guns would not eliminate violence as people looking to commit violent acts would just select a different tool.

10 attackers killed on average 3 people each with knives in a planned attack who are believed to be specially trained. This is still an incredibly tragic number but it could have been a lot worse were it not for the fact that China doesn’t allow its people to own guns! Here are just 2 examples of how guns make it much easier to increase the number of those killed in a single event.

1. July 22, 2011: At least 80 people are killed at a summer camp on the Norwegian island of Utoya. A man arrested also is suspected in a blast earlier the same day in downtown Oslo that killed seven. Weapon used .223 Ruger Mini 14 and an unknown Glock. 1 Person – 80 deaths many more injured
2. April 16, 2007: Seung-Hui Cho, 23, kills 32 people and himself on Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va. Weapons used: .22 Walther P22 Semi-automatic handgun and a 9 mm Glock 19.

These two instances alone show the deadly power of a gun in the wrong hands. If it were true that getting guns into the hands of good guys would stop shootings then these should have been over much sooner. Since American now owns around 300 million guns or roughly 1 per person in the entire country.

Getting back to the original comment, no sir. Guns are not misunderstood, people are finally realizing the truly potential power of weapons and the need/want for people to own them. Yes, I believe people should be able to own guns for hunting purposes, range shootings but we need to make sure that we know they’re getting into safe/stable hands. That they wont be used against others, that they wont be killing children because of improper storage/use. Increasing the education around guns, reducing their potential for harm against others, making sure proper people attain gun ownership and coming down hard on those who break the rules. I believe that we can strike a balance that allows freedom for the hunters/sportsmen out there and public safety. Most owners of guns are responsible, educated owners who abide by the law. In light of so many shootings, so many deaths and so much hardship these are discussions that were inevitable. We need to have these to improve our society for all. Its time for everyone to come to the table and make educated decisions, leave the rhetoric behind and make decisions that are right for Canada.

References:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/gun-deaths-cut-in-half-statscan-says-1.522668
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/16-major-mass-shootings-in-the-last-3-decades-1.1144261
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/326935/Misunderstood