The way I learned it, at common law, use of deadly force in self defense required proof that in the absence of the use of force, there was no way to avoid serious bodily injury or death. That’s a pretty high bar and I can’t recall hearing a true life case where I, on a jury, would find that standard met. Happens a lot in movies though. Your story doesn’t have enough facts to be able to tell – the fact that it was a robbery points more to defense of property than to self-defense, but it could be both.
Those stats are for all deaths. Which its says “Deaths by guns, though—the great majority suicides, accidents or domestic violence—have been trending slightly upwards. This year, if the trend continues, they will overtake deaths on the roads.”
So, 1) “if the trend continues”
2) You’re including suicides. A person choosing to end his or her own life. That’s a whole different reason than gun violence or accidents.
3) Includes domestic violence and presumable other homicides like gang violence.
So let’s compare apples to apples - accidents to accidents. And the number non fatal car accidents. Most car insurance claims, which is what we were talking about, is for non-fatal, and non-injury accidents.
Well, I don’t know how far back your reading goes and if there was a time when what you are saying is true but for the last 15 years or so that I’ve read the column I do agree that the reporting is repetitive, but that is because the incidents and fact patterns themselves are repetitive. Repetitive to the point of seeming mundane.
The NRA usually cites the news source the story is coming from. If these stories were made up from whole cloth you could strike a GIGANTIC black mark against the NRA.
Unless it is stored in the gun. In cool-ish, dry climates this may not be a problem.
(Todo: look up if a coating of wax or other thin-layer sealant would allow in-weapon storage for long term. Vapor-deposited parylene conformal coating would likely be the best. Due to such coating usefulness for weather-proofing of electronics it may be a good idea to come up with a DIY-friendly way (todo).) Though it may be more useful to just cycle them through the magazine and keep the remainder in a storage box, e.g. a sealable food container with a silica gel pack inside, for the rest of the time. The cycling evens up the exposition to humidity and steel-brass contact between the stock of the ammo, and the related corrosion. The better way would be using them up on a range, though, as a gun without the operator’s skills kept up to date is much less useful.)
Then why can’t you just leave them at the range, in presumably a much better guarded situation, than lying around your house just waiting for you to forget to lock them down?
@Mister44 I don’t think you will see a change in the defense drumming because that is the portion that ties back to the constitution or inalienable rights for self defense.
Otherwise there is no strong legal argument in the US against an outright ban.
I’d agree otherwise that the vast majority of use is recreational (unless you include law enforcement carry everyday).
@popobawa4u Even before the advent of 3D printing, firearms are largely very simple mechanical devices.
Do our police and military and other government agents need firearms? Where will they get them if you make manufacture illegal? What is the govt. other than an extension of ourselves? Who are these military/police/agents other than our friends and neighbors? Why would they be granted access to simple mechanical tools that the rest of us can not have?
Yes - the stakes are generally higher for a firearm than a wrench when it comes to misuse/abuse. But I think if you look you will see many parallels between the arguments around the civil rights aspect of general purpose computing and firearms
@jlw Nice troll post Jason, particularly with the title. www.gunfacts.info usually has some sort of counter argument against the common anti-gun arguments. More like: The story that would be gun banners use to justify curtailing firearms ownership to reduce the tragic number of accidental gun deaths is pure fantasy.
Estimated 2010 US Dept of Health/CDC numbers:
Total Deaths: 2,465,932
Total Accidental Deaths: 118,043
Accidental Firearm Deaths 600
Yep. I’m a big proponent of gun rights, but I think there needs to be some sort of regulation. It’s not entirely black and white.
I like the idea of driver’s license style regulation: You take a course, pass a test, and get a license- You can then purchase, own, and carry anything in your license class. If you want something bigger or more concealable, you take another course and more intensive test- the way you do if you want to drive a motorcycle or 18-wheeler.
If a cop sees you carrying and being suspicious, he asks to see your license- If it’s not under suspension or something, you’re on about your business. Your license can be suspended for handling guns irresponsibly. Best of all, from a libertarian perspective, it prevents a national gun registry- we don’t know what guns are owned by whom, only which people are qualified to use one.
While I agree with you that levels of gun deaths in the US are ridiculously high, I don’t think compulsory insurance paid for by the user would help. The UK mandates compulsory 3rd party driver insurance for cars, which makes driving unaffordable for some under-25s. The disaffected simply drive without insurance. The same would apply with compulsory firearm insurance. The solution (for cars and guns) is surely to tax the fuel — make ammunition and the means of making it expensive — and turn the ‘profit’ over into funding the insurance.
I like how you assume I’ve never shot guns. I’ve shot plenty I like guns a lot, they are fun to shoot. I have zero interest in owning a gun. A gun is a lot like having a large exotic pet, they look cool, it gets attention, and sometimes (not all the time) they rip off your face, or kills someone you love.
It’s not worth it. All the wild west fantasies that some gun owners have about “stopping the bad guy” is bullshit. The chances of a gun owners home being invaded while their home with their gun loaded and safety off are minuscule at best. Most times the only thing they’ll be holding is their dick, wishing it was a gun.
