Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I'll give you my gun...



Food for thought.






In America an average of 34 people are killed every day by guns. In 2010 9,369 people were murdered with a firearm (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-crime-murders-with-firearms). The U.S. rate for gun deaths in 1994 was 14.24 per 100,000 people. Japan had the lowest rate, at .05 per 100,000. Know the difference? In Japan people are not allowed to own handguns.

Jared Lee Loughner mugshot

Who thinks it is ridiculous that the accused shooter, Jared Loughner, was able to carry a .45 semiautomatic pistol? Who thinks it is nuts that he was able to buy all of the ammunition he needed for his mission at a nearby Walmart? Who thinks it is insane that he had a clip for his gun that held 30 bullets and that with the bullet in the chamber of his gun that he could shoot 31 bullets as fast as he could pull the trigger without reloading? Why would anyone ever legitimately need such a large number of bullets in a single magazine?

Why did sales of the same Glock handgun (THE WORKHORSE) used in the shooting spike across the country just after the type of weapon was announced? Was it fear of future gun restrictions? (Arizona gun dealers say among the biggest sellers over the past two days is the Glock 19 - the model used in the shooting. One-day sales of handguns in Arizona jumped 60 per cent to 263 on Monday compared with 164 a year ago, the second-biggest increase of any state in the country, according to FBI data. Handgun sales rose 65 per cent to 395 in Ohio; 16 per cent to 672 in California; 38 per cent to 348 in Illinois; and 33 per cent to 206 in New York. Sales increased nationally by about 5 per cent, to 7906 guns.

From “Shooting prompts surge in gun sales across America” http://www.theage.com.au/world/shooting-prompts-surge-in-gun-sales-across-america-20110112-19o6d.html)

Isn’t it pathetic that only car crashes and cancer claim more lives among children in our country than guns?


Why is it that only since the killings in Arizona has Sarah Palin come under intense criticism for having a “target list” on her SarahPAC website that included an image of crosshairs over Gabrielle Gifford’s district. Why would anyone think it is incendiary that Sarah Palin would tweet, “Don’t retreat, reload”?

How is it that gun advocates have assumed the political/patriotic advantage, the moral high ground when police are often outgunned and killed by weapons superior to their own? (Criminologists point to a wide range of contributing factors to the sudden spike in cop killings. The continuing proliferation of military-grade firearms often leaves police outgunned, while some gang initiations now include the express targeting of police. From “A Surge in Cop Killings” http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1666750,00.html)



I'll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands.


3 comments:

Teresa said...

Such startling statistics! I was listening to NPR one day and a man called in and said that his retired father had a hobby of collecting newspaper articles in which a gun was involved. He was searching for information about when it saved lives or protected someone Vs. when it killed innocent people. He was able to find one article out of hundreds where a gun truly helped a situation.

I know this is not a scientific study but I think it speaks volumes! Guns destroy...that is what they are made to do and it terrifies me that so many people believe this is the only way to protect ourselves--it's delusional!

The easy access to these killing machines is ridiculous as well! I feel like it is the equivalent to if Wal-Mart sold heroin; it is truly a cancer in our society!

On a lighter note...thank you for all of your thought provoking posts! I love reading your blog and appreciate that you have been visiting mine! I have now become addicted to blogging and look forward to it each day!

Mr. Hass' Class said...

I truly cannot understand gun culture. Sarah Palin's use of the crosshairs was obviously stupid but just as unnerving is the lack of outrage over other uses of violent gestures or glorification of violence. It's all over the place.

We haven't allowed the kids to have toy guns. Some people agree with this and others think we are over-protective.

"They'll just make guns out other things," people argue. "They'll make them out of sticks, forks, or even their fingers."

They are, of course, correct. Just an hour ago I came home from class to find the boys running around the kitchen pretending to shoot each other with their index fingers. They were taking turns falling to the ground as though they had been killed.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Do you think killing people is funny? Why would you even pretend to kill each other?"

They both looked at me with blank faces. They were playing a game very similar to the one I played with friends dozens and dozens of times.

"Do you remember that story we heard on the radio?" I asked. "That kid walked into a store and shot a whole lot of people. He killed many of them...just shot them and killed them. Is that funny?"

Muluken may not have fully understood but he had the sense to look remorseful. Ty was wondering if it was okay to shoot again.

Maybe I was too heavy about this but "playing" guns kills me (bad pun). Wait, are bad puns about killing off limits too?

In all honesty we still wonder what's okay and what's not when it comes to gun "play." Water guns? Dart guns? We don't want them thinking that guns are fun or toys. But sometimes we feel as though we are being too sensitive.

But then you step away and look at the gun culture that is thriving in our country. All the statistics and facts you shared are scary. They remind me of the Bowling for Columbine film. However, there's a significant group of people who are just as confused and outraged that we would even consider restricting access to guns and ammo.

Unknown said...

Wow fact checking is not a priority i guess. No handgun holds30 bullets it would be to heavy to even aim properly. Oh and by the way if you bother to go to glock.com and take five seconds to look up a Glock 19 its a compact (meaning small) 9mm not a .45 so maybe you should do some small amount of research before being a douche in public.