“I don’t have to be careful, I’ve got a gun” exclaims Homer Simpson, who is exactly the kind of idiot you try never to envision with a gun…Let’s face it, Homer reminds us all of someone we know in real life. I – for one, hope Simpson is carrying nothing more explosive than a bean burrito.
Cartoon half-wit Homer, is the picture of mental health compared with our most recent mass shooter Elliot Rodgers, who obtained guns legally, perhaps because he was wealthy – and healthy according to well-paid professionals. While (surviving) former roommates and acquaintances found Elliot Rodgers to be barking mad, nothing in his records was serious enough to prevent him from legally obtaining the weapons which killed six people before turning a weapon on himself. Apparently our gun laws, which the right wing finds to be oppressive, simply aren’t enough.
That’s why this Simpsons episode from the 19th season “Smoke on the Daughter” which aired in 2008 is still relevant.
The background:Mind, this smarty-pants researcher’s findings fly in the face of NRA wisdom which claims that the only way to be safe is for everyone to be loaded to the teeth, in order to stop bad guys. How’s that workin’ out for ya, BTW?
Scientists and public health experts agree. Widespread public availability of firearms is not safe and increase the number of firearms-related incidents that result in unnecessary damage, injuries, and fatalities. According to NYU researcher Sripal Bangalore: “The gun ownership rate [is] a strong and independent predictor of firearm-related The background: Scientists and public health experts agree. Widespread public availability of firearms is not safe and increase the number of firearms-related incidents that result in unnecessary damage, injuries, and fatalities. According to NYU researcher Sripal Bangalore:
“The gun ownership rate [is] a strong and independent predictor of firearm-related death … There was a significant correlation between guns per head per country and the rate of firearm-related deaths with Japan being on one end of the spectrum and the U.S. being on the other. This argues against the notion of more guns translating into less crime.”
“Although correlation is not the same as causation, it seems conceivable that abundant gun availability facilitates firearm-related deaths. Conversely, high crime rates may instigate widespread anxiety and fear, thereby motivating people to arm themselves and give rise to increased gun ownership, which, in turn, increases availability. The resulting vicious cycle could, bit by bit, lead to the polarized status that is now the case with the U.S.”
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Yay USA, we still lead the world! We lead it in firearm ownership and deaths. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, gun ownership in the U.S. is incredibly disproportionate to the rest of the developed world. They point to Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Japan as countries which have enacted comprehensive, large-scale firearms regulations that proved highly effective.ales usually aren’t subject to regulation. In some states, it’s easier to buy a gun than get an abortion. Many states have looser laws on gun sales than they do on prescription drugs or driver’s licenses. The BBC found that it was pretty easy to buy an AR-15 rifle without going through any kind of screening or background check.Why you should care: Loose gun laws in the U.S. mean that American citizens are at a higher risk of dying from firearms, a danger with few parallels in other industrialized, democratic countries. The ease with which someone can get a gun is also a unique feature of American firearms laws, which are rife with unintentional loopholes that are nonetheless staunchly defended by the gun lobby and Second Amendment activists.