Mass shootings are intentional – i.e. with malice aforethought. Bus accidents are unintentional – at worse something stupid. That is a huge difference.
A couple of years ago, this guy intentionally ran over & killed 5 people with his car. Last week, this other guy stabbed a family of 4 to death. How would the stupid ban proposed have saved them? Face it, we need to address mental health in this country, we don’t need another band aid of an idea.
A pregnant Arizona woman, was arrested the Saturday after the elections when she allegedly ran over her husband with the family SUV for not voting in the elections.If he had a gun, could he have stopped her? And what about the baby? I support banning high capacity clips except for those, as the 2nd amendment puts it, “well regulated” members of the police department, national guard, or police auxilary(or militia) who are deemed qualified by training and, if necessary, mental evaluation, to be safe.The bus accident was just that, an accident. If the driver was drunk, over tired, or medicated as has been the case in a few of our more recent incidents, there will be consequences for the driver and the company. It appears it was just very bad roads. If the bus driver was insanely angry and drove off the road while trying to ram another car, or while yelling at a passenger instead of watching the road, then we get a little closer to the gun debate and using ‘high capacity’ containers to kill lots of people.I think Mr. Lester could have made a better point here.Respectfully,C.
False equivalency. A high capacity semi-automatic assault rifle is designed for one, and only one, purpose: to kill as many people as possible. The primary purpose of a bus is to move people from one place to another, not kill them. Name one person who has used a bus to intentionally kill as many people as possible.
We should ban people, without people guns would lead a non-violent lifestyle.
Most murders committed with a firearm involve hand guns. According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle of any type.
FBI numbers: 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle where as there were 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs.
According to the FBI, nearly twice as many people are killed by hands and fists each year than are killed by murderers who use rifles.
By the way I can remember at least 6 cases off the top of my head where the murder weapon was a car.
Talk to a firefighter. Although exploding ammunition does not propel the slug, the shrapnel it causes can still be deadly (Brandon Lee was killed by a sliver of metal fired by a blank charge that was less than 2mm long). If a gun has a bullet in the chamber, a situation not recommended but possible in some paranoid gun owners’ cases, the slug can propel near velocity. A sudden shock can also discharge a chambered round (I have intimate experience with this), and there are cases of injury and death occurring from a gun being dropped or falling from a shelf.
For all of idiots who like to say “Duh er duh umm gund dont kill people people kill people err duh” should just check the homicide rates of a country like oh say England where a citizen cannot purchase a hand gun and here in the good ole US:Number of Murders, United States, 2010: 12,996
Number of Murders by Firearms, US, 2010: 8,775
Number of Murders, Britain, 2011*: 638(Since Britain’s population is 1/5 that of US, this is equivalent to 3,095 US murders)
Number of Murders by firearms, Britain, 2011*: 58(equivalent to 290 US murders)
Your argument holds no water but I am sure, as usual, the facts will not pursuade you. Facts? Who needs facts?
Yet somehow or another the CDC and the FBI have compiled statistics saying that hammers and clubs kill more people. Not on of the libs here has called for the ban of a hammer or a club. If your irrational fears drive your decisions, they’re not good decisions.
That was not the question. You asked has a gun ever killed anyone on it’s own, and the answer is yes. When a knife fails, it is less likely to cause a death. In a fire, my knives are not going to explode, fly around the room, or present a hazard to firefighters.
Ima: I know of three cases where “dropped” firearms , one a shotgun, one a rifle, one a revolver, killed someone. Interesting that those seem to cover “all bases”.
Kevin: in ‘93 37,666 people were killed in the U.S. by guns. In 2010 that dropped to31, 328, but it’s going up again. Cars in 2010 dropped to 33, 975. NO, cars do NOT kill three times as many people in the U.S. as guns. Bloomberg article predicts that by 2015 gun related will exceed vehicle deaths.
Not only are motor vehicles NOT designed to kill people, traffic safety has improved dramatically because design has improved safety, and saved lives. Sorry, but while small caliber weapons may be designed for “target shooting”, Barrett .50s, MAC-10s, and semi-auto .45s are NOT Target shooting firearms. These larger caliber weapons are designed to KILL. Yes, that even includes such things as Ruger M-77 30-06 bolt action rifles, that are intended for hunting. Sadly, too many people in America, are hunting people.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
An icy road in winter is NOT the same thing as a weapon, be it firearm, or sword. The NRA style “leaps” get more absurd with every mass homicide.
Ironic Eggbeater over 11 years ago
Mass shootings are intentional – i.e. with malice aforethought. Bus accidents are unintentional – at worse something stupid. That is a huge difference.
alex Coke Premium Member over 11 years ago
It’s a comic…. It’s supposed to show how ridiculous that argument is.
aguirra3 over 11 years ago
A couple of years ago, this guy intentionally ran over & killed 5 people with his car. Last week, this other guy stabbed a family of 4 to death. How would the stupid ban proposed have saved them? Face it, we need to address mental health in this country, we don’t need another band aid of an idea.
chazandru over 11 years ago
A pregnant Arizona woman, was arrested the Saturday after the elections when she allegedly ran over her husband with the family SUV for not voting in the elections.If he had a gun, could he have stopped her? And what about the baby? I support banning high capacity clips except for those, as the 2nd amendment puts it, “well regulated” members of the police department, national guard, or police auxilary(or militia) who are deemed qualified by training and, if necessary, mental evaluation, to be safe.The bus accident was just that, an accident. If the driver was drunk, over tired, or medicated as has been the case in a few of our more recent incidents, there will be consequences for the driver and the company. It appears it was just very bad roads. If the bus driver was insanely angry and drove off the road while trying to ram another car, or while yelling at a passenger instead of watching the road, then we get a little closer to the gun debate and using ‘high capacity’ containers to kill lots of people.I think Mr. Lester could have made a better point here.Respectfully,C.
Jason Allen over 11 years ago
False equivalency. A high capacity semi-automatic assault rifle is designed for one, and only one, purpose: to kill as many people as possible. The primary purpose of a bus is to move people from one place to another, not kill them. Name one person who has used a bus to intentionally kill as many people as possible.
klr562 over 11 years ago
We should ban people, without people guns would lead a non-violent lifestyle.
Most murders committed with a firearm involve hand guns. According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle of any type.
FBI numbers: 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle where as there were 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs.
According to the FBI, nearly twice as many people are killed by hands and fists each year than are killed by murderers who use rifles.
By the way I can remember at least 6 cases off the top of my head where the murder weapon was a car.
woodwork over 11 years ago
I dunno…the way some people drive on icy roads couldbe construed as using a car as a weapon of mass murder
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
Talk to a firefighter. Although exploding ammunition does not propel the slug, the shrapnel it causes can still be deadly (Brandon Lee was killed by a sliver of metal fired by a blank charge that was less than 2mm long). If a gun has a bullet in the chamber, a situation not recommended but possible in some paranoid gun owners’ cases, the slug can propel near velocity. A sudden shock can also discharge a chambered round (I have intimate experience with this), and there are cases of injury and death occurring from a gun being dropped or falling from a shelf.
Odon Premium Member over 11 years ago
Ban birth then give it a few generations and problem solved.
STLDan over 11 years ago
For all of idiots who like to say “Duh er duh umm gund dont kill people people kill people err duh” should just check the homicide rates of a country like oh say England where a citizen cannot purchase a hand gun and here in the good ole US:Number of Murders, United States, 2010: 12,996
Number of Murders by Firearms, US, 2010: 8,775
Number of Murders, Britain, 2011*: 638(Since Britain’s population is 1/5 that of US, this is equivalent to 3,095 US murders)
Number of Murders by firearms, Britain, 2011*: 58(equivalent to 290 US murders)
Your argument holds no water but I am sure, as usual, the facts will not pursuade you. Facts? Who needs facts?
sw10mm over 11 years ago
Yet somehow or another the CDC and the FBI have compiled statistics saying that hammers and clubs kill more people. Not on of the libs here has called for the ban of a hammer or a club. If your irrational fears drive your decisions, they’re not good decisions.
Fourcrows over 11 years ago
That was not the question. You asked has a gun ever killed anyone on it’s own, and the answer is yes. When a knife fails, it is less likely to cause a death. In a fire, my knives are not going to explode, fly around the room, or present a hazard to firefighters.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Ima: I know of three cases where “dropped” firearms , one a shotgun, one a rifle, one a revolver, killed someone. Interesting that those seem to cover “all bases”.
Kevin: in ‘93 37,666 people were killed in the U.S. by guns. In 2010 that dropped to31, 328, but it’s going up again. Cars in 2010 dropped to 33, 975. NO, cars do NOT kill three times as many people in the U.S. as guns. Bloomberg article predicts that by 2015 gun related will exceed vehicle deaths.
Not only are motor vehicles NOT designed to kill people, traffic safety has improved dramatically because design has improved safety, and saved lives. Sorry, but while small caliber weapons may be designed for “target shooting”, Barrett .50s, MAC-10s, and semi-auto .45s are NOT Target shooting firearms. These larger caliber weapons are designed to KILL. Yes, that even includes such things as Ruger M-77 30-06 bolt action rifles, that are intended for hunting. Sadly, too many people in America, are hunting people.