PaulPisces Loc: San Francisco

I am generally not a fan of Nicholas Kristof's column, and I know there are many strong, varying opinions on how to address gun violence in our country. But this column explores some things that I think make a lot of sense.


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/06/opinion/how-to-reduce-shootings.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

Larry the Legend Loc: Not hiding in Milton

As soon as I saw the New York Times in the header, my 'gun grabber' antennae went up, but he was doing just fine, until this little gem:

"...the issue is still tragically relevant — and will remain so until America tightens its gun safety policies."

What the hell are "gun safety policies"? Go ahead, Google it, I'll wait. As far as anything government is concerned, they don't exist. Gun safety is something you learn on the range, or at a class ran by the National Rifle Association. It's definitely not some 'policy' from government, and you can take that to the bank.

He made it all the way to the second sentence before shooting his pathetic 'we need government gun control laws' wad.

Okay! I'm out! I had no idea who Nicholas Kristof is until just a few seconds ago, and my life has not been enhanced by the knowledge of his existence. Yes, "there are many strong, varying opinions on how to address gun violence in our country", only one of them is strong, and it's really, really simple. Obey the effing law!

There are laws against many kinds of violence in our society. Some of them specifically address gun violence, as in 'don't, it's a bad idea'. The penalties are similarly draconian. Witness the Florida 10-20-Life rule. (10 years for committing a crime while simply being in possession of a firearm, 20 years for discharging said firearm in commission of a crime and Life for shooting somebody in the commission of a crime. Not killing them, just grazing their little pinkie is sufficient.)

He whines about how many guns are hanging around, just waiting their chance to do some killing. "America’s private arsenal is six times as lethal as Canada’s, and 30 times worse than Australia’s." We're not just gun owners, we have 'private arsenals'.

Moving right along here... "We don’t ban cars, but we work hard to regulate them – and limit access to them – so as to reduce the death toll they cause. This has been spectacularly successful, reducing the death rate per 100 million miles driven by 95 percent since 1921." Right. Cars haven't improved. Roads haven't improved. It's the license that makes us all safe. Bullshit.

I can't 'do' this any more. That's as far as I got. I hope this moron never needs a gun to protect himself with until the authorities arrive, because by then it'll be too late.

And no, there's nothing 'intelligent' about his opinion.

Kevyn

How about this step which the NRA has threatened gun makers if they develop it. We have technology that employs biometrics to use devices like telephones. The same technologies can e used in firearms so that only the owner could use the gun. This way when some kid finds it under the mattress he can’t fire it. If you are trying to defend yourself from that Arab terrorist boogeyman that keeps you quaking in fear at night and he takes your gun away from you he can’t blast you with it.

Larry the Legend Loc: Not hiding in Milton

"[T]he NRA has threatened gun makers if they develop it." With what? And why? Where on Earth do you get your talking points from? Be advised, the National Rifle Association has threatened nobody, ever. And never will. Get that through your thick skull. They don't need to. Their members are independent thinkers who are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about the veracity of a claim or the usefulness of a safety feature and putting their money where their common sense tells them to.

By the way, if "that Arab terrorist boogeyman that keeps [me] quaking in fear at night" as you put it, takes my gun away from me, it will be empty and he will be bleeding profusely from at least six holes in his chest. That's 'center mass' to us 'gun nuts'. Who the hell keeps his pistol under the mattress? I sit mine out on the bedside table where all of my family members can access it if they feel threatened. What's the point of having a defense weapon if it can't be deployed? Do you even live in this universe?

Smedley_buzkill

Perhaps a more intelligent opinion on guns is in order. Let me start with your author's first misstep; Background checks. I have no idea where he got the 22% figure. I know at gun shows the percentage sold without a check is around 3%. The only people who submit to background checks are those who aren't going to commit a crime anyway. The FBI states that the typical firearm recovered from a criminal is several years old and stolen, and has been sold more than once on the street. The SCOTUS has ruled that a criminal cannot be prosecuted solely for possessing an unregistered gun because it would violate their 5th Amendment Rights to submit to background checks, etc.
So the only people impacted are the ones who aren't going to commit a crime.
Protection Orders Your boy needs to check his sources. It is already illegal for someone convicted of domestic abuse to own a firearm.
Ban sales to under 21 Why? Show me some stats that prove that people under 21 commit large numbers of crimes with guns they legally purchased. I think you will find the answer is a tiny fraction of one percent. However, I could live with this one, even if it is useless.
Safe storage Most people already do this. I do, except for my personal protection firearm that I carry everywhere.
Tighten up on straw purchases. The only point that actually makes sense. Not limits on number of firearms purchased. The question is, how do you "tighten up" on purchases?
Ammo checks? Do you have any idea how many people load their own? Another completely useless pie-in-the-sky non solution.
End Immunity You have GOTS to be kidding. This would mean you could sue alcohol manufacturing companies and auto manufacturers for drunk or careless driving. Drug companies because someone misused a prescription. You would have to amend the Constitution for this one.
Ban Bump Stocks They have been used in one crime? Once again, your boy's ignorance of firearms is showing. I can do a bump fire without having to resort to a bump stock. It's not hard.
Smart guns Wishful thinking. No one has come up with one yet that is even remotely practical, or reliable, and to the best of my knowledge there are none on the drawing board either.

The Violence Policy Center is a left wing source whose "facts" are in conflict with the FBI, the DOJ, and even the CDC.
Hawaii has very strict gun laws and a very low murder rate.
California has very strict gun laws and a very high murder rate.
Louisiana has lenient laws and a high murder rate.
Wyoming and New Hampshire have lenient laws and the two lowest murder rates in the US.
Your left wing sources claim some 250 or so defensive uses of firearms. The FBI's figure is more like 50,000. The CDC's is far higher. Whom do you think is the most authoritative?
Georgia has a lower murder rate than California, and we have more than three times the firearms ownership.
In the past 25 years the US population has grown by 40 million, there are some 100 million MORE firearms in private ownership, and there have been around 16 million carry permits issued. Rather than the bloodbath your left wing sources predicted, the murder rate has dropped by nearly 50%.
While the US may have the most firearms suicides, we are nowhere near the top in suicide rates. Japan has almost no firearms and a very high suicide rate. Dead is dead. You are not somehow less dead if your demise was occasioned by something other than a firearm.
Your sources apparently think that unless a death results, it is not a defensive use of a firearm. I have personally had to use a firearm for self defense. I did not kill my attacker, but he was wounded. Since he still breathes he doesn't count as a defensive use. On one other occasion, I was about to be the victim of a mugging until I simply pulled back my jacket so the wannabes could see I was armed. No one died so that didn't count either. Many crimes are prevented with no shots being fired or an assailant only wounded. That is the ideal result. ( I did not deliberately wound my assailant, my aim was a little off. It's hard to think when you're being shot at.)
Paul, you mean well, but you are not very familiar with violence and violent situations. No offense, but I don't think you realize the mindset behind a violent criminal. If they think they have an advantage they will pursue it. If they think they will get their asses shot off they won't. It is that simple. Making it more difficult for the intended victim to defend him or herself is not a deterrent. I have seen no gun control proposals at all that would do anything else.

Smedley_buzkill

Tell us more about "smart guns." You seem to think you are quite knowledgeable on the subject.

Rose42

A not so intelligent opinion on guns. The gun grabbers will keep at it though - its never been about saving lives its been about control.

If they are so cavalier about rights you can bet others will be taken away too.

Smart guns aren't a good idea at all. What they will do is make it much more expensive to own one which is just one way the "progressives" want to put the squeeze on. People better wise up.

Big dog

You,quite literally,took the words right out of my mind (mouth),(fingers).
Thank you for sparing me the time and effort of typing.

F.D.R.

Theories are just that. Hell, Socialism is a great theory. The one thing always left out is human nature, all those things that make us different. But just one other quick observation, I didn't see Israel anywhere in the stats.

Oldsalt

This person knows nothing about guns or the people who have them. Many of the statements that he is calling for are totally crap? Universal background checks cannot be enforced with out a full gun registry and no gun owner with any knowledge of history will register their guns. Anytime the government gets involved in laying out “safety” regulations it will be a cluster f**k. There is no such thing as a “government expert “. If you really want to reduce gun violence how about bringing Christ back into schools, try teaching morality. We had guns in schools all of the time I was growing up. No one ever considered shooting up the school. The violence we are seeing today is directly correlated to the decline in morality of the nation. Teach morality and the value of life and this will turn around. It will take time, we didn’t get this way overnight and it won’t be stopped overnight. But it’s not unachevable. If you are at all concerned about saving lives...stop abortions.

Big dog

👍🙏🇺🇸🦅✝️✡️

Rose42

This isn't what people want to hear but its the truth. Nicely said.