Killing Spree in AL

[Mise]

mrstickball said:

1. That's why in America we have something called a 'background check'. What happens is that every time someone attempts to purchase a gun, a comprehensive check of their personal background is done to ensure that he doesn't have the issues you describe to pop up afterwards. There is no one-and-done system in place for gun ownership in America. If you are competent now, and become incompetent later, your privledges are revoked, and usually for life.

 

A background check is fine and should be done, but it can only catch so much by itself. And unless this background check is complemented by, lets say, mandatory follow-ups or a renewable license like I mentioned, it's just that, a single check. It can prevent people who are known to be unstable from picking up weapons, but if they go nuts later for some reason or another, they'll probably lose their license along with their freedom (ie. after the breakdown/crime), and that's way too late for my tastes.

2. Look at death rates in America due to tobbaco, firearms, alcohol, and driving. Of the 3, which are the least dangerous to the general US populace? Which one is the most restricted? I don't disagree with the notion that gun owners need to be very responsible, and have checks in place to assure it, but if you give the government an inch, they will take a mile. What is one day responsible measures can easily be used by the gun lobby to merely grab everyones weapon (as was such with hurricane Katrina, and firearms being confiscated in the NOLA area).

Personally, I think alcohol is somewhat redundant, and tobacco is one of the most retarded things ever invented, but there's a reason why guns have tighter restrictions than the other three.

IMO, Guns are restricted because they're the most dangerous at the hands of individuals. You're more liable to kill yourself with alcohol rather than someone else (it's still quite dangerous indirectly), tobacco doesn't kill anyone directly barring really heavy long-time exposure, and while a car is a lethal weapon when mishandled, using it as a murder weapon isn't really that feasible. With a gun, you'll only need something small - a single instance of forgetting about safety, not remembering/acknowledging that the gun is loaded, leaving your finger inside the trigger guard and getting spooked, etc. And while all of these things have gargantuan industries behind them, guns don't yet have the cultural acceptance that cars, tobacco and alcohol do.

And while I can agree that governments have the tendency to play pointless and overbearing power games with the people, that's something that the people have to counter.IMO the government can't take your liberties by itself, you have to give them to the government by proxy - or choose not to.