randemon wrote:Not to turn this into a forum for/against gun control, but don't believe everything you see in the news. Granted, we do have a problem, but it's not nearly as bad as the news would make you think. The news has overblown the whole situation, resulting in a panic that is well beyond the risk. The number of people killed with guns yearly in the US is typically less than the number that die in vehicle accidents, yet how many people have a fear of cars? How often does a major freeway accident end up repeated in the news for days and weeks afterwards? And according to a recent article in Discover magazine, roughly half the gun fatalities are from suicide, not attacks from nuts, thieves, or disgruntled neighbors. While certainly tragic, the chances of a random person being killed by a firearm is not that high, and no where near as high as the hype in the news would make you think.
While I will agree with your point about the number of deaths from motor vehicles, it should be noted however that a guns purpose is to kill, either hunting or self defense, it is of little use for some other purpose.
Vehicles use is for transportation, and like any tool if used in a careless manor can cause death, but that is not its prime purpose. Millions and millions use motor vehicles every day for many hours safely, the shear number in use is going to lead to mishaps. guns are not used in that volume or daily in those numbers. If you took every time a gun was fired and put it next to every minute a vehicle was driven, and then compared the number of deaths that resulted, the gun would be the greater killer.
Motor vehicles have more oversite and regulations then guns, Does it stop people from drinking and driving, no, does it stop people from operating without a lic or insurance, not always, but it does bring consequences. A car can be stopped and checked for registration and insurance, and the driver checked for a lic. A valid tag must be displayed
Un licensed (black market) gun exist in every country, but the US has biggest problem by far of any developed nation. Part is due to the Myth of this nations birth, that local residents with guns defeated an army. while part of that may be true, with the change of warfare over the years the same would not hold true today.