Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site teldata.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!drutx!houxe!hogpc!houti!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!teltone!teldata!tac From: tac@teldata.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: A gun control question Message-ID: <459@teldata.UUCP> Date: Fri, 27-Jul-84 12:10:56 EDT Article-I.D.: teldata.459 Posted: Fri Jul 27 12:10:56 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 29-Jul-84 00:57:58 EDT References: <36200142@uiucdcs.UUCP> Organization: Teltone Corp., Kirkland, WA Lines: 74 , (sop to the blank line eaters--consider it a religious sacrifice) I suppose that I shouldn't even try to talk reason in net.flame, but here goes anyway. >> A first comment regarding this week's news: as far as I can see, >> the McDonald's massacre got less coverage in the press than the >> Miss America fiasco. Hmm... Sex has beaten violence in our news for some time. >> >> Regarding the shooting, I ask the gun control dissenters, why it is >> that RANDOM murders take place almost only in this country? I don't suppose that you would care to back this up with some statistics? >> If it is NOT >> because of the fact that the US has far looser guns controls than >> say, Western Europe, Canada etc., why is it? There is a good chance that there are more guns per capita in the US than anywhere else in the world. This would be caused by three things--the first is that we have always allowed the citizens to carry guns, the second is that we were still an expanding country (i.e. fighting the wilderness) when guns were developing--the older countries did not have the need to have a large share of the population armed, the third is our relative affluence--more of us can afford guns (and many other toys) that the poorer populations of the world cannot. For this reason, it would be reasonable to assume that guns are used to commit a larger share of our crimes. >> Do you wish to claim >> that such senseless slayings would take place even if there were the >> strictest of gun control? Yes. >> If so, then we need to start a discussion >> about the differences in our society and those where such murders don't >> take place. We are not affraid of our government, as is most of the world. I still don't agree that most of the world doesn't have these same murders. In many areas it is just the government who does them. The psychotics who perform many of these feats are at home in an army or KGB which frequently allows them an outlet for their passions. In our society we have tried not to make a home for them. >> >> S. Krolikoski >> u of illinois at U-C >> ...!pur-ee!uiucdcs!stank >> >> If not the difference in gun control, why the difference in the crime >> statistics in the NY Times and the London Times? >> Here, I will side with you completely. In London they do not have firearms in the hands of the people, so we read in the London Times about bombings on a regular basis. When the cavalry was bombed, not too long ago, one of the fellows here at Teltone was over there on business. While drinking in a pub one PM there was a loud BOOM, the building shook, people outside were screeming. The man next to him at the bar said, "Oh, damn, another bloody bomb. I'll have another." This last was to the bartender. They have become so used to bombs going off that it only effects them when it hurts them directly. Thank you, I'll keep the occasional crazy who gets more than his direct target and you can keep the ones who always kill more than their target! >From the Bomb Fearing Soapbox of Tom Condon {...!uw-beaver!teltone!teldata!tac} A Bombing A Day Keeps The Civilization Away. DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are those of everyone who matters, but not necessarily anyone you know, and most certainly not my employers!