The funny thing about the car analogy is that far more people die every day due to idiot drivers than guns
From the other topic:
darkknight109 posted...
I mean, let's look at another tool that has been responsible for a great deal of death and mayhem: the car. Just like guns, it has completely defensible uses. Just like guns, millions of law-abiding owners use them daily. And just like guns, they can be used - intentionally or otherwise - to seriously injure or kill innocent bystanders.
So when cars started becoming widespread around the turn of the 20th century and people suddenly noticed that a lot of people were dying to them, we fucking changed things.
Laws around cars were tightened up considerably. To this day every car on the road has to be registered with the government and insured. Stupid shit that was clearly killing people, like driving while drunk, was outlawed. Safety features, like crumple zones, seat belts, and airbags, were developed and eventually legally mandated on all new cars. And in order to even operate a car in the first place, a potential driver must be of a minimum age and must pass a series of examinations in order to prove that they can safely operate the vehicle; and if they later prove that they can no longer be trusted with that responsibility, their right to operate the vehicle is restricted or removed altogether.
End result? Car deaths peaked in 1970 and have been dropping ever since, despite the fact that there are more vehicles now than ever. Deaths per vehicle-miles-travelled have been dropping almost unabated since the 1920s when the first of these regulations were implemented.
Guns, on the other hand, have been merrily sailing in the other direction with predictable results. Safety features - like limiting magazine size - are vigorously fought by the NRA, while what flimsy regulations exist have been steadily stripped away since the 70s. Make the suggestion about creating a national gun registry and watch as gun advocates recoil in horror. What few protections exist on who can own and purchase a gun have next to no enforcement and are easily circumvented and, in many areas, no proof-of-training or background checks are required and the only thing needed to buy a gun is proof of age and sufficient cash. End result? Gun deaths have remained steadily high and virtually unaltered in the last 20 years, despite the fact that the rate of gun ownership has dropped by nearly a quarter over the same time period.
If you truly believe guns are tools, treat them that way. It won't fully solve the problem, but it would certainly help.
People don't use guns every day like cars. 99% of the time they're put away in a drawer or gun case. I'm all for background checks and evaluations but comparing guns to cars is ridiculous