our current (political = banned) controversy

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

Naama wrote:

<< So, while banning cars, for instance, would have a very negative 
impact on most people's lives, exactly what kind of negative impact 
would banning guns have? (I don't include hunting rifles here.) >>

It is possible that banning cars, other than ambulances, and transit 
to and from airports and train stations, would have a POSITIVE effect 
on people's lives. It definitely would reduce air pollution, drunk 
driving, and auto accidents, especially the ones where cars come up 
on the sidewalk to kill people. Since no one would have a private 
car, there would be great public support for mass transit, so the 
mass transit would be pretty much adequate. And the inconveniences of 
mass transit might lead to people walking more, for short distance 
errands, which would be delight the public health propagandists.

<< I have to say, that as seen from the outside, the most absurd 
thing about American gun culture, is that most of the guns people 
have are completely unnecessary. Most people interviewed on the film 
said that they needed and wanted guns for protection (so did Charlton 
Heston, by the way). But that means that the only reason why most 
people own guns is because they know that a lot of other people have 
guns. So they have to "protect their families." Nice, isn't it? An 
arms race between each and every citizen. >>

Well, they aren't going to tell a complete stranger that they like to 
own a hundgun in case they might ever want to commit suicide someday, 
perhaps when terminally ill and in desperate pain?

<< I think that was the point of Moore's film, to show the fear that 
people in America have of each other, and the danger of a limitless 
access to guns in such a state of mass paranoia. >>

Meaning, either reduce the guns or reduce the paranoia? Moore seemed 
to credit the paranoia to the pathetic excuse for news on local TV 
stations ("if it bleeds, it leads" -- preferably a crime, else a 
fatal traffic accident. Then a remote from a reporter on-site in a 
dark shopping mall in front of a closed shop in which something 
happened earlier in the day. Then the water-skiing budgerigar (except 
we say "parakeet"). Most people don't watch any TV news (and more 
people get news from TV than any other source), but are scared 
anyway.

Kathryn wrote:

<< I do not believe in keeping handguns in the home for defense -
statistics show (and I'm being terribly sloppy and not looking them
up but I know I saw them on a Discovery Channel show about crime) 
that if you have a gun in your home the chances of you or a family 
member or friend being shot with it (either accidentally, by being 
mistaken for an intruder or deliberately) are far higher than the 
chances of shooting an intruder. >>

I know I don't remember the statistics, but my recollection is that 
something like 43 out of 47 deaths associated with a firearm in the 
home were deliberate suicides. I understand that parents don't want 
their teen-agers to commit suicide (altho' there was a woman whose 
husband and then later her son committed suicide with the household 
gun right in front of her, and she went on TV to beg parents to lock 
the guns away from the teen-agers as well as from the children, and 
she got tons of hate mail from people who called her a Communist 
criminal-hugger who wants to take all their guns away), but I believe 
very strongly that every person belongs to THEMSELVES, no one is the 
property of the government or some religion or their parents, and 
therefore even teen-agers have a moral right to commit suicide, and 
parents should prevent this by being less nasty to their teens rather 
than by locking up the guns. (It should be obvious from this that I 
am child-free :) .) 

And I think it was found that more deaths were cases of one family 
member murdering another in a fit of rage than of one family member 
shooting another due to carelessness with firearms.  

Marley wrote:

<< I found it really funny how Moore was really surprised that no one 
locked their doors, yet all the houses he tried were occupied at the 
time. I know of no one who locks their door when they are actually in 
their house (except perhaps last thing at night) >>

I was really surprised at your comment, perhaps indicating that we 
live in different universes after all. Other people have already 
replied about locking their doors when at home, but I wanted to add 
that I was surprised that none of those people who found Moore 
messing with their doorknobs either punched him out or answered the 
door with gun in hand.