posted
This is a silly joke, but it nonetheless makes a good point, that many things in life are dangerous, guns being only one.
quote:Think about this:
a. The number of physicians in the US is 700,000. b. Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year is 120,000. c. Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171. (US Dept. of Health & Human Services)
Then think about this:
a. The number of gun owners in the US is 80,000,000. b. The number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups) is 1,500. c. The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .0000188.
Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.
Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets out of hand. As a public health measure I have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear that the shock could cause people to seek medical attention.
[This message has been edited by autumnmuse (edited July 13, 2005).]
posted
This is just too much fun! I loved the "Cucurbiticide: one who shoots a melon instead of an animal, for educational purposes." LOL!
And Spaceman you are so right. Those criminals were scared out of their wits out there in Texas. So they all moved to D.C. or N.Y. were they new all the the people that they wanted to victimize wouldn't be able to defend themselves.
[This message has been edited by pixydust (edited July 13, 2005).]
posted
It occurs to me that this thread has the potential to ruin some relationships on this board. We should probably lock the thread before anything gets out of hand.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Aug 2010
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posted
Further to what Inkwell said about inexperienced people owning handguns for protection...
There is a line from a movie or show or something (can't remember what exactly, but I liked the line )that goes something like this:
If you pull a gun, you have to be willing to use.
So fine, you have a gun. When the burglar comes through the window and you pull it out, are you actually willing to kill someone? It may be self defense or defense of others or property, but you will personally be responsible for someone dying. That can be a traumatizing experience. Or what if the consequences flash through your mind and you freeze? The burglar or whomever disarms you and now they control the weapon and can shoot you.
For some people, those are non-issues -- and that's fine. For me, those are the reasons I don't think I could own a handgun. I don't think I would be able to live with knowing I had killed someone.
I've used rifles and gone out shooting gophers and I enjoy it. I also own a bow and enjoy using it. It doesn't make a very efficient defensive weapon, but it's good, fun exercise.
posted
Self-defense: I agree, it would be difficult to unlock the safe, grab the gun, unlock the cabinet, grab the ammunition, load the gun, shoot intruder. But if you have a gun and kids, you'll need to follow those basic rules.
That's why I live with a big-strong-man who has a thing for swords, and my trusty 1/2 pit bull.
And I don't let guns in my house. (Although we are definitely teaching Eden proper don't-touch-daddy's-swords-or-throwing-knives etiquette.) Most of them are dull, but I'll pass along the squirrel tip for when Eden's big enough to start showing an interest in swords.
posted
I hope that's not true, Spaceman. But you might be right. How sad. Well, I still love everybody. After all that's what makes America great; we're allowed to disagree. Posts: 811 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
Of course we're not all from America, huh? Hmmm...well, then that's what makes this forum great. Yeah, that's it!
Posts: 811 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I've seen this topic spark some very heated debates. That's why I think they belong on the other side. Just opining.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Aug 2010
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posted
I've seen some heated debates. This ain't one of 'em. So far people have been pretty civilized in my humble opinion.
Posts: 818 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
"In order to add the subject of writing to this thread, how many of you who write about gun use, have actually fired one? Just curious...
~LL"
My husband first taught me to use a gun when we were both in the Navy. Now he's in the Army and he bought me a shotgun before he left for Iraq.
I use guns in my stories on occasion. I'm nothing special shooting them, but I feel just fine having them in the house. No kids yet, but when I do I'll probably use some of these ideas on teaching them gun safety.
[This message has been edited by reliantfc (edited July 14, 2005).]
posted
Personally I think it would be more fun to hack or bash open the melons than shoot them, but that could just be me.
Did anyone see the CSI episode where the teens bashed open about fifty melons with hammers in practice for murdering someone by doing the same to their head? That was a case of Cucurbiticide if I ever saw one.
posted
That was a messed up episode if ever I saw one.
I actully liked that they showed "kids" can be very brutal and aren't always sweet innocents. And those were kids from suburbia, if I remember correctly.
Survivor, glad you like it and hope you get to use it in a sentence one day.
posted
When I did bike safety education, we used watermelons to demonstrate what helmets do for your head. We would drop watermelons from a tall ladder with a helmet strapped onto it, and then without.
quote:Personally I think it would be more fun to hack or bash open the melons than shoot them, but that could just be me.
Yeah! A similar thing is hacking apart a prickly pear cactus with an axe (a machete is even better if you have one). That is lots of fun, although you have to watch your aim. I had to clear a bunch of cactus off my land a few months back when I was getting ready to put in a goat pen. Destroying the prickly pears was the best part. So therapeutic!
posted
I'll bet the students were also entertained. The only one who doesn't like a smashed watermelon is the person who cleans up the mess.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Aug 2010
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Well, I still love everybody. After all that's what makes America great; we're allowed to disagree. 
