War on drunk driving a model for reducing gun violence
What practical steps, within the protections of the Second Amendment, can we take to reduce mass killings and gun violence? Can such an effort even begin to make a difference in saving lives and preventing heartbreak?
Yes, it can. And we have a model of success to draw upon.
By 1982, more than 21,000 Americans were dying each year in alcohol-related accidents. Yet somehow by 2010, the number of fatalities caused by drunk driving had fallen to 10,228, a decline of more than half. We didn’t solve the problem, but clearly we have made substantial progress. We are saving more than 10,000 lives a year and preventing tens of thousands more from being crippled or maimed. Almost as important, over the years we have prevented tens of thousands of drivers from ruining their own lives by killing people while under the influence.
We did not achieve that progress by banning automobiles. We did not ban alcohol. In fact, no single dramatic change produced the turnaround. It was achieved through a broad, concerted legal effort backed by a fundamental change in what was deemed culturally acceptable
We required automakers to make their products safer, including then-controversial steps such as requiring airbags. We mandated use of seatbelts. We increased the legal liability of bars, taverns and restaurants that over-served customers, to ensure that those making money off the problem had some “skin in the game” in reducing it.
We instituted a national drinking age of 21, which reduced the number of minors involved in alcohol-related fatalities. In Georgia alone, the rate of such alcohol-related fatalities involving drivers under 21 fell by 63.7 percent from 2000 to 2010 We increased enforcement efforts, such as DUI roadblocks. We tightened licensing requirements and also nationalized databases, so that someone stripped of his or her license in one state for drunk driving could not be licensed in another state.
So how do you apply those lessons to gun safety? As with automobiles, you improve the safety of the devices themselves, for example by requiring the installation of trigger locks. (If Nancy Lanza had installed trigger locks in guns kept in a household with an unbalanced young man, she and 26 other people today in Newtown might still be alive.) You ban the sale, use or possession of high-capacity magazines, such as the 30-round mags that Adam Lanza used. And you ban altogether the sale or transfer of assault weapons. If someone wants to sell an existing assault weapon, they can sell only to the government.
As with automobiles, you require evidence that individuals know how to operate certain weapons before they can be licensed to use or possess them. The National Rifle Association points out, correctly, that those who go through gun-safety and marksmanship courses to qualify for concealed-carry permits in many states are rarely involved in crime. Why not extend that successful model to gun ownership in general? (Georgia, by the way, requires no gun-safety training and no evidence of gun-handling ability before granting permits to carry concealed weapons.)
In addition to licensing gun owners, you register weapons. (With some 200 million guns in private hands, the fear of a government effort to go door to door confiscating registered weapons is ludicrous paranoia.) If a registered weapon is used in a crime but was not reported stolen, the person to whom it is registered can be held civilly or even criminally liable. That’s responsible gun ownership, and would curtail the black market substantially.
One of the bigger deterrents to drunk driving is the significantly increased cost of auto insurance for those convicted. Bars and liquor stores with a history of over-serving also have to worry about increased insurance costs. If you make gun owners and sellers financially liable for any damage done with their weapons, you create a market-based incentive to be responsible.
None of those steps violates the Constitution; none prevents honest citizens from obtaining firearms for personal defense, hunting and other legitimate purposes. But together, they have the potential to dramatically reduce the number of deaths caused by firearm misuse.
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693 comments Add your comment
Paul
December 19th, 2012
12:52 pm
Kamchak
“But they say it will also likely involve measures that touch on mental health initiatives ”
You just know conservatives are never gonna go for that.
If God wanted people to have mental health care, He would have issued it to them.
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
Cons apparently fail to grasp the notion that a trigger lock can be installed on all their guns while they are not there to monitor them and then a trigger lock can be removed from the gun that they cuddle up with at night so it will be readily available to use in case the boogey man crawls out from under the bed and attacks them with deadly force. Then again, cons…
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
12:54 pm
JHM – yeah they were interviewing the pilot that dropped the bomb in the ocean. He seemed to be somewhat of an imbecile (maybe senile). He seemed to think he was a hero for jettisoning it. Too bad he seemed rather clueless about where he dropped it.
“I lost my bomb!
Thulsa Doom
December 19th, 2012
12:55 pm
The death penalty works- if applied quickly instead of dragged out over 15 years and numerous appeals.
Mr Right
December 19th, 2012
12:56 pm
And you ban altogether the sale or transfer of assault weapons. If someone wants to sell an existing assault weapon, they can sell only to the government
What is a assault weapon? Isn’t it the shape of the gun? Isn’t the function of them the same as a lot of non assault weapons?
getalife
December 19th, 2012
12:56 pm
“No sinister intent here”
No problem.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
12:56 pm
If God wanted people to have mental health care, He would have issued it to them.
He should have a conversation with the clergy about that. You know, a BC/BS card miraculously appears after a sprinkling or a dunking….
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
12:57 pm
TaxPayer – glad to know that home break-ins and invasions don’t exist, and are just a figment of the local news media. I feel safer now.
Joe Hussein Mama
December 19th, 2012
12:58 pm
N. Yobinnes — “JHM, I was watching a TV show about the Tybee bomb the other day. They said this particular bomb had the power of 100 Hiroshima plus Nagasaki bombs.”
Well, let’s do some quick math. Carey Sublette’s Nuclear Weapon Archive gives the yield of a Mk 15 nuke as between 1.69 and 3.8 megatons. That’s a broad range, so let’s go backwards.
Hiroshima’s “Little Boy” yielded about 15 kilotons, give or take. A hundred times that would be 1.5 megatons..
Nagasaki’s “Fat Man” yielded about 21 kilotons, so a hundred times that would be 2.1 MT.
Add them together, and you have ~3.6 MT, close to the reported upper range for a Mk 15 nuclear weapon. So yeah — the Tybee bomb was apparently designed to be about a hundred times as powerful as Little Boy PLUS Fat Man.
Yow.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
12:58 pm
Paul:
“Which leads to the next question: given your posts, what changes need to be made to reduce the likelihood of future slaughters? Nothing?”
In my opinion, the only real answer is RESPONSE.
These events WILL continue to occur mainly because our culture has changed.
Therefore, the time between when a shooting starts and the police arrive (or the shooter commits suicide) is the TIME TO ACT ! The event cannot be stopped but it can be MINIMIZED.
1) Teachers, staff, maintenance workers should be allowed to be able to fight back with DEADLY force. It can be done. Texas has whole school districts that are prepared to do just that.
2) General security can be enhanced ………. entry, magnetometers, armed school resource officers, off-duty officers, etc. Note: Inner city schools that do this now are probably safer than our suburban schools !
It will cost but it’s always a matter of priorities ………… new football stadiums, uniforms, etc. or security. Choose !
getalife
December 19th, 2012
12:59 pm
We will not ban guns like other countries after a massacre but we have to try to keep our children safe at school. That is the goal and all ideas are on the table.
Jm
December 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
Death penalty is dumb
Our justice system is imperfect
Eternity in prison is worse than death
Paul
December 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
Mr. Right
“What is a assault weapon? Isn’t it the shape of the gun? Isn’t the function of them the same as a lot of non assault weapons?”
You may want to look at the original legislation for answers to your questions.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
1:00 pm
Paul @ 12:50
A cheap commuter chip that would limit all new cars sold in the U.S. to 55 mph would save hundreds of thousands of lives (not to mention gas) over a period of years.
Do you support that ??
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
1:01 pm
“This time, the words need to lead to action,” said Obama, who set a January deadline for the recommendations. He vowed to push for their implementation without delay.
The president, who exerted little political capital on gun control during his first term, also pressed Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. He also called for stricter background checks for people who seek to purchase weapons and limited high capacity clips.
“The fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing,” Obama said. “The fact that we can’t prevent every act of violence doesn’t mean we can’t steadily reduce the violence.”
Now THAT’s worthy of an AMEN–not the “but you can’t do that to my 2nd amendment rights” whines.
Welcome to the Occupation
December 19th, 2012
1:01 pm
What happened to Mary Elizabeth?
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:02 pm
I believe they quoted it as 1.5 megatons. However, the choice of words used seemed to indicate it was (fat man plus little boy) x 100. I was not aware of the output of the Hiroshima bomb or the Nagasaki bomb. Learn something new every day. Thanks.
Paul
December 19th, 2012
1:04 pm
0311
The CT shooting was over in ten minutes. Don’t think having responders there in, oh, the first minute or two or three or four is feasible. Sounds good, not practical.
Your other suggestion, you know it’s not a choice. Those programs are not going to be eliminated to pay for the security. Besides which, the security you outlined will likely cost much more than a sports program funded by taxpayers.
So, 0311, congratulations and thank you for being the first conservative on this blog I can remember implying endorsement of tax increases to pay for a new program!
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:05 pm
Chinese State Media Demands US Citizens Be Disarmed
WOLVERINES!
getalife
December 19th, 2012
1:06 pm
“So, 0311, congratulations and thank you for being the first conservative on this blog I can remember implying endorsement of tax increases to pay for a new program!”
Get scout cons.
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
1:06 pm
TaxPayer – glad to know that home break-ins and invasions don’t exist, and are just a figment of the local news media. I feel safer now.
Nunna,
I said nothing to indicate such a claim. I did say that you should be free to cuddle with your gun without a trigger lock installed unless you fear that a burglar will break in and take it from you and use it on you and in that case you should definitely leave the trigger lock installed for your own protection.
Paul
December 19th, 2012
1:07 pm
0311 1:00
You’re beginning to sound like a Ben Shockley acolyte.
Tossing out ‘do you support this? do you support that?” without showing specific relevance (not a simple ‘but when big gubmint has the power”) to the discussion is an exercise in digging rabbit holes.
You can keep the discussion at a higher level than that.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:08 pm
Kam – I’m sure the Chinese government would love that. It’ll make it easier for them should they foreclose.
larry
December 19th, 2012
1:08 pm
Every time i see someone posting about arming teachers , staff , having off-duty cops, two things come to mind.
1), Presidents have best trained, well armed police force in the country, yet they arent safe by no means.
2) What would happen if a staff member decides , because of personal problems, to end it all, and take whomever he or she could with them, like a sucide bomber ? Or you have a gun discharge, killing a child? or killing the teacher ?
And another thing, when we start issuing new cars to soldiers to protect themselves from harm in a time of war, then the chip arguement has merit. Other wise , it doesnt.
Assult weapons are weapons of war that doesnt need to be in the hands of a private citizen . Period.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:08 pm
NRA also issued statement saying that Megan McArdle “…does not speak for us. We’re crazy but not that crazy.”
Heh, heh, heh.
getalife
December 19th, 2012
1:08 pm
As far as the fiscal cliff deal, the speaker can’t get his caucus to say yes to our President.
I will climb out on a limb and predict the gop house will lose the next election.
Joe Hussein Mama
December 19th, 2012
1:09 pm
N. Yobinnes — ” I was not aware of the output of the Hiroshima bomb or the Nagasaki bomb. Learn something new every day. Thanks.”
Perhaps you might find this link useful for some idle geekery one evening; it’s the site I looked up the yields on:
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html
And here’s the home page for the site:
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/index.html
This guy’s done an incredible amount of research and recording of the world history of atomic and nuclear weapons. Regardless of where you stand on those weapons, I think you’ve got to respect the sheer amount of work that went into the guy’s site.
DebbieDoRight - Enough Is Enough Already; BAN The Assault Rife.
December 19th, 2012
1:11 pm
Nunna: TaxPayer – glad to know that home break-ins and invasions don’t exist, and are just a figment of the local news media. I feel safer now.
You will probably NEVER feel safe. The best thing for you is to sign yourself in to a Mental Health Institute, (a for profit institute of course — being a great Repub. like you would require your participation in Capitalism and Free Enterprise…). where you’ll be away from the boogeyman, The Easter Bunny, Scary noises, and kids playing music too loud.
Good Luck To You and God Bless.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:12 pm
Kam – I’m sure the Chinese government would love that.
I would love to spend the night with Candice Swanapoel.
And Catrinel Menghia.
At The Holiday Inn Express.
Doesn’t mean I have a good chance of that happening.
barking frog
December 19th, 2012
1:12 pm
Take our country back to clinton taxes and assault weapons ban.
Not much difference between R and D as to direction to travel.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:16 pm
Thanks JHM. I’ll check that site out.
HDB
December 19th, 2012
1:16 pm
Thulsa Doom
December 19th, 2012
12:55 pm
The death penalty works- if applied quickly instead of dragged out over 15 years and numerous appeals.”
Doomy….how many INNOCENT people have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death?? If it takes 15-20 years to get something right….then so be it!! Note how long it has taken many INNOCENT men to be freed off of death row for crimes they didn’t commit!!!
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
1:17 pm
Would cons require these armed teachers to pay for their own insurance policies to cover them in case the teacher shoots one of their children accidentally or in case a student managed to get hold of the gun that would obviously not be allowed to have a trigger lock installed on it since that would reduce the teacher’s ability to respond with deadly force in a timely manner. Or would they, like scout, be willing to pay increased property taxes to cover the insurance and other costs given that they definitely do not want to burden the gun owners with added taxes and fees and such due to their “sacred” 2nd amendment rights that extend beyond anything including right to life. Hey! What if an assault weapon is used to shoot a pregnant woman? Does the 2nd amendment still trump the unborn. The Bible says that the unborn is worth half that of a born breathing person or something like that. Right, Christian soldiers. Does that pose a problem or is there a passage in another Chapter covering that scenario.
barking frog
December 19th, 2012
1:17 pm
Is xinhua an extension of ajc or vice versa ?
DebbieDoRight - Enough Is Enough Already; BAN The Assault Rife.
December 19th, 2012
1:18 pm
larry: Every time i see someone posting about arming teachers , staff , having off-duty cops, two things come to mind.
What I think about is the “freeze factor”. Not everyone will have the gumption to USE that weapon effectively and/or accurately in a crisis.
I’ll always remember that scene from “An Officer & A Gentleman” where this guy, from Oklahoma, wanted nothing more than to be a Pilot — studied hard all his life so that he could get into the Naval Academy, sacrificed a lot for the opportunity to fly.
During the “high altitude simulation” though he failed the course. He failed because he freaked out at the 30K feet simulation and became disoriented and violent.
IOW – just because it SEEMS like a good idea to arm everyone — that doesn’t mean that everyone would have the faculties to be prepared in a stressful situation. Some people NEVER do.
Making them the “designated shooter” just because they carry the moniker of “teacher” would not necessarily make anyone safe.
IMO
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:18 pm
DDR – I’m not a Republican, but thanks for thinking of me. Nice barbed insult too. Have a nice day.
stands for decibels
December 19th, 2012
1:19 pm
One more moderated post and I can claim a hat trick on the Bookman blog. I thought I had to insult someone, curse, or call someone a name to get a post moderated after the fact. Not so. Orwellian.
well no, you do not. I had one moderated, think it was Monday, when I made what I thought was a light-hearted comment about what our sometime-poster “skipper” might be doing with “little buddy” (NTTAWWT) in one of the huts on Gilligan’s Island.
I guess our blog host thought it was in poor taste.
No biggie, I just changed it to tea and crumpets with Thurston & Lovie, worked just as well.
And it’s hardly the first time I’ve crossed that line, truly without intending to.
DebbieDoRight - Enough Is Enough Already; BAN The Assault Rife.
December 19th, 2012
1:20 pm
Things that make you go hmmmm…………….??
Why, in the late 1800s did “open carry” STOP being the norm for America?
If it’s such a need NOW, why did the advent of “open carry” ever get banned in the first place?
Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm……..
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
1:21 pm
Paul:
1) “The CT shooting was over in ten minutes. Don’t think having responders there in, oh, the first minute or two or three or four is feasible. Sounds good, not practical.”
Totally disagree. Someone MUST to something to stop the carnage before the police arrive and that means DEADLY force ability.
2) “Tossing out ‘do you support this? do you support that?” without showing specific relevance (not a simple ‘but when big gubmint has the power”) to the discussion is an exercise in digging rabbit holes.”
You miss the point/relevance. The American people could save hundreds of thousands of lives with just that simple mph restriction yet they CHOOSE not to do so because they want their FREEDOM to drive faster. That kind of transportation (speed) is not even protected by the Bill of Rights but they want it !
The relevance to the 2nd Amendment is that it is a Constitutionally protected right and any legislation that is merely “eyewash” should be rejected.
3) So as usual, we will just have to agree to disagree.
A “Panel on Violence” has been convened by the President, recommendations will be made, legislation “in some form” will be passed and then the courts will decide if those laws are within the Constitution.
What will be will be.
barking frog
December 19th, 2012
1:22 pm
DDR
open carry was the law in Georgia until concealed carry replaced it.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
1:22 pm
Debbie Do:
I told you the other day but I guess you choose to ignore it.
Look it up ………….. Vermont (and other states) still have OPEN CARRY !
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
1:24 pm
Vermont:
In fact in Vermont you don’t even need a permit to carry concealed !
“May carry open or concealed without permit”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_United_States_(by_state)
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
1:24 pm
Have to go for awhile.
Everyone be nice.
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
1:25 pm
I believe armed teachers in classrooms may have been statistically proven to reduce incidences of cheating on tests.
DebbieDoRight - Enough Is Enough Already; BAN The Assault Rife.
December 19th, 2012
1:25 pm
Right, Christian soldiers. Does that pose a problem or is there a passage in another Chapter covering that scenario.
Yes.
2 Smith & Wesson 15: For the Lord of the Gun Sayeth to his followers: Go hither into thine gunshop and buyeth every gun in the store.
16 — And the people said, “But Why Gun Lord? What if we accidentally shoot a pregnant woman?”
17 — And the Lord Of The Gun said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, if you shooteth the pregnant woman they will NOT blame you! They will NOT hold thee liable! Sayeth unto them, “Elders, the pregnant woman frightened me and I felteth threateneth.”
Amen.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 19th, 2012
1:25 pm
HDB: how many INNOCENT people have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death?? If it takes 15-20 years to get something right….then so be it!!
And of course the simple fact that the claim that the death penalty deters has been proven wrong for many years. The alternative: Life without parole works better. http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/discussion-recent-deterrence-studies
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:25 pm
0311 – it doesn’t seem to be feasible, no matter what.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
December 19th, 2012
1:27 pm
DebbieDoRight, @ 1:18,
I have some experience with that. A person who has never faced another in a “shoot or die’ situation is likely to hesitate and that hesitation will get them killed by a person who has already decided to die. Giving a teacher a gun is going against every instinct that teacher has. They are there to teach and not to kill.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
December 19th, 2012
1:28 pm
“Sayeth unto them, “Elders, the pregnant woman frightened me and I felteth threateneth.”
…and it was two against one!
getalife
December 19th, 2012
1:29 pm
We need jobs so hire armed trained security guards at schools.
A win win.
DownInAlbany
December 19th, 2012
1:29 pm
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
12:32 pm
Oh, I thought it might be the fact that the cons called BS on the “it was a spontaneous riot because of THE film.”
Don’t really care what it is that you, “thought.”
Then you may consider finding something else to do with your time rather than be on this blog because that’s about all that it’s good for….what people “think.”
stands for decibels
December 19th, 2012
1:31 pm
Giving a teacher a gun is going against every instinct that teacher has.
well, and there’s this issue, helpfully documented by the Rude Pundit as only he can:
How do you know someone is crazy? Wait, let’s call ‘em “guntards” because f### them. How do you know someone is a guntard?
Anyone who thinks that teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons is a f###ing idiot. Putting aside the inevitable, how much s### is stolen from schools? From teachers? You want to add guns to that mix? How quickly will a school be shot up by a student stealing a handgun from a teacher?
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
1:31 pm
and it was two against one!
No, it was 1 and 1/2 against one.
stands for decibels
December 19th, 2012
1:32 pm
…and it was two against one!
And so it came to pass, that I standeth my ground.
Regnad Kcin
December 19th, 2012
1:33 pm
‘Then you may consider finding something else to do with your time rather than be on this blog because that’s about all that it’s good for….what people “think.”’
No facts allowed!
indigo
December 19th, 2012
1:34 pm
I wonder how many cons here know you’re nothing more than athletic supporters for Big Business and The Republican Party?
I wonder how many are so simple as to think that’s a good thing?
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:34 pm
dB – sounds like a good song for someone like…Tom Petty. Oh wait.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:34 pm
….what people “think.”
Oh I care about what some people think, just not you.
TaxPayer
December 19th, 2012
1:34 pm
Giving a teacher a gun is going against every instinct that teacher has.
We just need teachers in every classroom that fit the con mold. Someone with stripes.
Joe Hussein Mama
December 19th, 2012
1:39 pm
DIA — “Then you may consider finding something else to do with your time rather than be on this blog because that’s about all that it’s good for….what people “think.”
Sounds like a pretty defensive reaction from you, fella.
Some people on this blog actually *know* about certain things, while others just spout forth whatever gobbledygook they please from their word holes. The key is figuring out who’s got some kind of professional experience and/or education on a given topic and who’s just blowing smoke.
DownInAlbany
December 19th, 2012
1:40 pm
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:34 pm
….what people “think.”
Oh I care about what some people think, just not you.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Opposing views not welcome!
AmericaShrugged
December 19th, 2012
1:40 pm
Would Jay’s suggestions have stopped OKC, VTech, Columbine, Aurora, or Sandy Hook? Might have reduced the number of casualties, miight have, at Aurora and Sandy Hook. Otherwsie the answers are no, no, no, no, and no.
We need some out of the box thinking here, the kind that resulted in ignition lock systems for drunk drivers.
AmericaShrugged
December 19th, 2012
1:42 pm
Indigo – Looks like Obama was about $25B of an athletic supporter for GM and the union according to today’s news.
getalife
December 19th, 2012
1:43 pm
Benghazi sheets
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:46 pm
getalife – what thread count are those Benghazi sheets?
indigo
December 19th, 2012
1:46 pm
Finally!!!!
http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/us/2012/12/19/dnt-tn-former-marine-stands-guard-outside-school.wtvf
jconservative
December 19th, 2012
1:46 pm
As Jay points out – “Georgia, by the way, requires no gun-safety training and no evidence of gun-handling ability before granting permits to carry concealed weapons.”
But Georgia does require this: “Resident and non-resident hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1961 must successfully complete a hunter education course prior to purchasing a hunting license.”
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:47 pm
Opposing views not welcome!
Reading comprehension nonexistent.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:48 pm
Interesting idea – qualified volunteers standing guard at schools.
DownInAlbany
December 19th, 2012
1:53 pm
Joe Hussein Mama
December 19th, 2012
1:39 pm
DIA — “Then you may consider finding something else to do with your time rather than be on this blog because that’s about all that it’s good for….what people “think.”
Sounds like a pretty defensive reaction from you, fella.
Some people on this blog actually *know* about certain things, while others just spout forth whatever gobbledygook they please from their word holes. The key is figuring out who’s got some kind of professional experience and/or education on a given topic and who’s just blowing smoke.
I didn’t think (couldn’t resisit) I was being defensive.
Nunna Yobinnes
December 19th, 2012
1:53 pm
Shaolin Monks and Ninjas wearing body armor – no guns required.
DownInAlbany
December 19th, 2012
1:54 pm
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 19th, 2012
1:47 pm
Opposing views not welcome!
Reading comprehension nonexistent.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Sense of humor nonexistent.
Thanks for the confirmation! (not that you care what I “think”)
Rick C
December 19th, 2012
1:57 pm
jconservative, what does training for a hunting permit have to do with training for a concealed carry permit?
Jay
December 19th, 2012
2:02 pm
“jconservative, what does training for a hunting permit have to do with training for a concealed carry permit?”
I think his point is that you need training to carry a gun into the woods, but no training to carry a gun into public places.
Hmmmmmmm
December 19th, 2012
2:44 pm
I think it’s funny, some of the responses to having teachers trained and armed at public schools.. I guess it’s easier to have a Knee Jerk reaction and go picket the NRA… Yes, the NRA who had NOTHING to do with this shooting or any for that matter… I personally think had the principal been trained and had been armed, we might possibly have saved a good portion of the lives that were lost… But hey, let’s have a knee jerk reaction and through emotional duress make more laws that don’t make sense. I was listening to Rush Limbaugh for a brief second today, he made a statement that was funny yet sad… He has a problem communicating with MORONS… Just sayin…
independent thinker
December 19th, 2012
2:59 pm
You are close Jay to a solution but owning an assault weapon with a mentally defective 20 year old in the house is not a reason currently to punish anyone in any state other than the liability which attaches for your stupidity and negligence.
If you compare guns to automobiles as a privilege and not a god created fundamental due process right given to the NRA and gun owners by SCOTUS, you can pass sensible restrictions like other Western countries.
For example, in person background check of a gun buyer/permittee with references or military background. Serious penalties for private sale of a gun without registration.
As valorem taxation of guns to offset the cost of medical treatment and public support for victims of gun violence. 300 million guns in the US at $100 annual fee is 3 trillion dollars;
The drunk driving analogy comes in with unregistered and illegal guns -severe penalties; rewards for whistle blowers, purchase by Police with as valorem funds, etc.
No gun should be sold without records of Id and registration.
However since owning a gun is a fundamental god given right according to five activist judges,, the gun huggers will act like you are taking away their mother or children.
There would be less protest and legal infringement when a police officer impounds the car of a drunk driver -SICK,SICK,SICK!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
4:01 pm
Via POLITICO’s Zachary Warmbrodt, Attorney General Eric Holder took two questions about what Congress can and should do about guns:
Q: Is there something specific Congress can do immediately?
Holder: “I think there are a number of things and those are things we’re going to be talking about over the course of the next few weeks — not an extended period of time… We’ll also look at what executive action the president might take to deal with the violence problem.”
Q: Is the reenactment of the assault weapons ban the highest priority?
“I think there are a range of things we need to do. This is a complex issue and I don’t think any one proposal, any one measure will have an impact.”
TGT
December 19th, 2012
4:54 pm
Which of these signs will prevent another tragedy:
http://politicalarenadotorg.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/gun-signs-children.jpg
TGT
December 19th, 2012
4:56 pm
Why Did Gun Control Fail in Newtown?
TGT
December 19th, 2012
4:58 pm
Assault Weapon Ban Won’t Work
Hit 'em In The Pocketbook (Gun Owners).....That Will Get Their ATTENTION
December 19th, 2012
5:15 pm
MAKE ALL gun owners FINANCIALLY RESPSONSIBE
for any INJURIES caused by their GUNS.
Hit ‘em in the pocketbook.
MAKE them pay.
fair and balanced
December 19th, 2012
6:18 pm
Any reason we cannot allow elementary school children to carry a weapon?
TGT
December 19th, 2012
6:32 pm
Yeah, just like we hold the beer companies responsible for all the death and mayhem caused by alcohol, right? BTW, annual alcohol related deaths in the U.S. (75,000+) FAR surpass annual number of deaths by guns (31,000+, and more than half of these are suicides).
dabir dalton
December 19th, 2012
7:30 pm
“We instituted a national drinking age of 21…”
_________________
Which instituted discrimination based on age against a specific class of individuals and introduced by legislative fiat legal double jeopardy. Leading to charging minors as adults for certain crimes while at the same time denying them rights granted to adults.
But then again what else can one expect from a two faced society!
keith
December 19th, 2012
9:29 pm
NRA memberships are surging.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
December 19th, 2012
10:01 pm
“MAKE ALL gun owners FINANCIALLY RESPSONSIBE
for any INJURIES caused by their GUNS.”
Ah ……………. it’s called a civil suit in case you haven’t heard !!!
Joel Edge
December 20th, 2012
7:10 am
As you liberals love pointing out, Jay, driving is a privilege not a right. Usually made in the context of voter ID. Followed by the huff and puff of ‘voting is a right, you can’t legislate that!!’. Good effort, though.
Joel Edge
December 20th, 2012
7:22 am
And BTW, are you aware that you’re comparing gun owners with drunk drivers? Is this intentional? A little liberal mind game thing?
A Task Force to Study…Well The Same Old Crap | Blog for Democracy
December 20th, 2012
9:33 am
[...] Guns…. Some proposals….More Proposals….and More Tirades…and Wackjobs And don’t forget a Task Force to study all those [...]
john
December 20th, 2012
1:46 pm
i have decided that for every column bookman writes supporting anti-American gun ban schemes I will donate to the NRA.
stephen
December 20th, 2012
8:55 pm
According to many, we cant restrict assault weapons because hey,cars go too fast, and OMG, what keeps somebody from finding the key to the trigger lock and what if they want to ban alcohol next and …..The dark side loves it. Let’s maybe debate a little more after the next school shooting. Happy Holidays all.
Technik 2013 - Der Blog für die neusten und besten Produkten » Does Your Cellphone Make You Safer?
December 21st, 2012
2:59 am
[...] gun ownership, and would curtail the black market substantially. One of the … Read more on Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Sharen mit:FacebookTwitterLinkedIn └ Tags: Cellphone, Does, Make, Safer, [...]
TeeJayGee
December 23rd, 2012
11:16 pm
Thank you Mr. Bookman, excellent post.