Cold dead hands (or a lawyer), was Bowling for Columbine

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Saitaina" <saitaina at w...> wrote:
>
> ,,,edited,,,
> 
> Guns aren't safe, no matter how well you train and treat them with
respect.
> 
> Saitaina
> Born and raised with a gun in her hand but still believes in gun
control.
> ****


bboy_mn:

You are absolutely right; GUNS AREN'T SAFE.

And neither are cars, trucks, airplanes, bathtubs, showers, streets,
highways, gravel roads, farm machinery, kitchen knives, baseball bats,
lakes, rivers, swimming pools, bicycles, skateboards, Big Macs, french
fries, premium ice cream, football, baseball, basketball, soccer,
hockey, stairways, ... shall I go on? People die and/or are injured as
a result of everything on this list and more.

Yes, guns aren't safe, that's the whole point. That's why you learn to
handle them properly, and more importantly that's why you rigorously
and religiously maintain proper safery procedures. Sadly, most gun
accidents are not caused by faulty guns, but by faulty operators (more
like operator error).

That's also why you learn to drive a car properly, yet we still have
car accident. In car accidents, a far greater number of accidents are
the fault of the vehicle; malfunctioning car. Although, it's the
drives ultimate responsibility to make sure the car is properly
maintained. Even then though, many vehicle error/faulty equipment
accidents are caused by faulty design. That is, the fault of the
manufacturer rather than the driver. 

You rarely see a gun accident caused by faulty design. Guns don't just
accidently go off. The incidence of that, is EXTREMELY EXTREMELY RARE.
The Safety mechanism has to be off, the firing mechanism has to be
cocked, and the firing mechanism has to be release (the trigger has to
be pulled). 

Those three event simply do NOT spontaneously occur. Oh yes, I forgot
to mention the most important part, the gun has to be loaded. It must
have amunnition in it, and that should never occur unless you are in a
situation that actually requires that it be loaded; in the wood, on
the rifle range, in defense of your life, etc....

When you have a gun that is loaded, with the safety off, the hammer
pulled back, and you pull the trigger; that is not an accident, that
is gross negligence, and a far far cry from proper gun handling and
proper safety procedures. 

I'm really really truly sorry that your friends got hurt, but those
were not spontaneous discharges of guns. They were, without a doubt,
human error. 

Ultimately HUMANS are the most dangerous thing on the face of the earth.

If you accept life, that is, if you choose to live, then you accept
the risk of death. If you don't accept the potential risk of death
inherent in life, then while you may go for a long time not dying, you
will never really live. 

Sorry for the rant. I know that guns are like religion. They are a
subject that can never be resolved. But it has been my experience that
even around people who claim they are knowledgable and experienced in
handling guns, by my standards, they fall far short.

Just a thought, and again with apologise if I have inflamed the situation.

bboy_mn