I was arguing with a guy about gun control.
He says cars kill more people than guns.
So we need car control more than we need gun control.
There’s a difference between a car accident and shooting someone.
Accident.
That’s the difference.
We have traffic laws, car safety laws, drunk driving laws, drivers license tests.
All of them are to make driving as safe as possible.
People are still gonna die in cars.
Accidents.
But when I point a gun at you and pull the trigger, that’s not an accident.
It’s homicide.
It is possible to commit homicide with a car, but most murderers prefer guns.
It’s so easy. No effort at all.
A lot of effort goes into minimizing car accidents and limiting injuries and deaths.
No effort goes into minimizing shootings.
In fact, gun makers want you to buy more and more guns to kill bad guys.
Like the ones who break into your house.
A few homeowners kill bad guys.
A lot more of them kill neighbors, friends and family members.
Or they kill themselves…suicides.
It’s so easy.
Get mad…pull the trigger.
Get depressed…pull the trigger.
I lost a good friend that way a few years ago.
How many killings would happen with a knife instead of a gun?
Some. A lot less. I can’t prove that, but I’m pretty sure.
It’s harder to kill with a knife or a baseball bat or your bare hands.
Probably gonna get a lot of blood on you, might even get hurt.
Not with a gun. Bang! You’re dead. So sanitary. So quick.
A druggie sneaks into your house and tries to steal your wallet.
You blow him away.
Your wallet had twenty bucks in it.
The death penalty for trying to steal twenty bucks.
Oh yeah, and breaking and entering.
Courts don’t usually consider those capital offenses.
But you are judge, jury and executioner.
Due process, frontier style.
He might have had a gun, you say.
A man has a right to defend himself, his property and his family.
A watchdog and an alarm system would have kept him out without anybody dying.
But testosterone gets involved.
A gun is a powerful testosterone stimulant.
A gun makes a guy feel big and strong.
I know. I remember the first time I went hunting with a shotgun.
A gun is a real ego booster.
Just pick it up, and you can feel the power in it.
The power to kill.
The ultimate power.
I don’t think most men will ever give that up willingly.
So, instead of gun controls, how about this?
To drive a car on public roads, all states require liability insurance.
If you kill or injure someone with your car, and it is your fault, you are legally liable.
But if you can’t pay, the victim is screwed.
So you must carry liability insurance.
In California, if you are stopped by a traffic cop, the first thing they do is ask you for your driver’s license, car registration and proof of insurance.
If you do not have all three, you can be arrested, fined and your car can be impounded.
Why not require gun owners to buy liability insurance when they buy a gun?
Let the insurance companies figure out how much to charge, based on their assessment of risk, just as they do with auto insurance.
And how about a license that requires proof of proficiency?
Like knowledge of safety procedures and a reasonable test of marksmanship.
There should be a law prohibiting the carrying of a gun when inebriated.
Instead of DUI, call it CUI…carrying while under the influence.
As gun control opponents say, both cars and guns can kill people.
So let’s treat them the same.