Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Letter to the editor

Another one to the Beloit Daily News:

A phrase in a story on the front page of Saturday's paper caught my eye - "gun violence".

There is no such thing as "gun violence" - it's a manufactured term used to demonize an inanimate object.

There is violence caused by nature, by animal attacks, and by human action. There is no possibility of a firearm causing violence without some person being involved.

If "gun violence" exists and is so dire a threat as to require re-writing our Constitution, why do we not see articles about an equally deadly threat to Americans of all ages - "automobile violence"?

The latest statistics I can find show driving or riding in a car gives almost the same risk as being shot - and the firearms death statistic includes criminal acts as well as police shootings. The risk to drivers and passengers is a bit higher, actually - source: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm

So - where's the huge media outcry to limit "assault cars" and require background checks before issuing driver's licenses? Driving is nowhere mentioned in our Constitution - "arms" have their very own Amendment stating "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed".

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