Risk, a little something to think about

[The Straight Story]

A friend of mine goes and buys some pot. Takes it home and smokes it.

Someone else I know can't afford car insurance and drives without it, and if is running late for work speeds.

A girl who lives with her mom after losing her job likes to drink, she sneaks vodka into the house in her purse or a large pocket in her jacket.

Someone else hides their drugs in their pants pocket as they hike through a large national forest.

Everyday folks are doing things which are either illegal (civil/criminal) or not approved of by others. Always have, always will.

Guns are no different. When was the last time you were frisked at the store? While hiking? While walking down the street or going in to work?

All the feel good laws in the world are not going to change the fact that people, in general, will do as they please and hide that fact from those that don't like it.

You can pass a million laws when it comes to guns - but it won't matter. Those that want to conceal and carry will do it anyway. Those who want to kill someone that they are upset with will do so, whether it be with a gun or a knife.

If such laws make you FEEL safer I don't know what to tell you. The real problems and issues are way deeper. Laws that 'protect' us from violence have not deterred others from engaging in it. We all have disobeyed the law at some time or another, we just don't get caught - and we spend some time telling ourselves it was ok because of x/y/z.

SUV's don't run over people, those who drive do. Guns don't shoot people, a few that own them do (and it is a very few considering how many own them). Beer does not batter a spouse, the person with issues abusing it does.

Making more and more laws against objects is not going to stop it. Being big brother like they are trying to in the UK won't either.

Bad people will do bad things. We need to fix the source of issues (poverty, mental health, disparities in justice system, etc and so on) if we are truly serious about it all.

but that is not as easy as trying to make ourselves feel safer by passing more and more laws to punish people.

We don't need to get rid of guns, or pot, or booze, etc and so on. We have been in this country over 200 years and have a ton of laws and we still have murders, beatings, domestic abuse, and so on.

You think the difference between us and other countries is how many guns we have???

No - the difference is that most other countries have better physical and mental health care coverage for all and a better safety net for people.

Reduce the stress, the pain and suffering people have, help make people happier - and those social ills go away.

We don't need more laws, we need more love and showing of that love by helping each other out and removing the fear that you will lose all if you lose a job, get sick, etc.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Yeah. You're right.

About all of it. And furthermore, good mental health coverage could virtually wipe out endemic abnormalities like Republicanism.

[Mithreal]

5. Yes indeed. nt

[glitch]

2. Sweet Reason. K & R nt

[baldguy]

3. When a gun is used by a trained individual for its intended purpose people die.

I think that makes them different.

[JDPriestly]

4. I have to pass through a metal detector and an x-ray when I go to work

in the court. So, I do this quite frequently. I happened to be in the courthouse when an angry husband shot his wife, both parties to a family law case, in front of their very young daughter. As a matter of fact, I came down the stairs just in time to see the little girl being led away from the crime scene.

Generally, people don't shoot other people with pot. The person driving without insurance will be personally liable for damages if he or she causes an accident and injury to another. The woman who sneaks alcohol in her bag into her mother's home needs a detox program.

Guns have one primary purpose -- to kill. Sure, shooting can be a sport, but the real purpose of a gun is to kill. Guns are fine if you live in a rural area and like to hunt. But, I really don't want to have to deal with someone who has a gun when I am in a court. So, I'm very happy that it is against the law to bring a gun into the courthouse.