Guns And Cars Part 2

A local Teabagger Congressman who was invited  to speak about his typical teabag fiscal position last week was instead berated by gun control activists.

The Brilliance of Renacci

Jimbo gave a little lip service to their concerns, blaming the mental status of the perpetrators (using the word 'issue' three times, twice in one sentence.) It has become the stock explanation of the NRA.

“I still believe that when it comes to guns, the biggest issue is the mental health issue,” Renacci said. “We have to take a look at that. A majority of these issues (such as the killings at Newtown, Conn., Chardon, Ohio, and Aurora, Colo.) have mental health issues behind them. I also think we have to strengthen our background checks. The House will consider what the Senate passes and take a look at it.”

While unlike automobiles, guns are used to kill people purposefully for the most part, and a pedestrian or cyclist can share some culpability in an accident with a car, I can't help but see the parallels between the standard excuses given for gun killings as the ones offered for automobile deaths.

(Deaths are deaths after all, and a good lawyer can show the right jury that a death by either device was 'accidental.')

Neither gun nor automobile advocates want to admit there just may be a problem.

With guns: The shooter was crazy, or the shooter was angry, or the shooter was drunk, or the shooter wasn't licensed, or the shooter had bad parents, etc.

With automobiles: the driver was drunk, or the driver was texting, or the driver wasn't licensed, or the driver wasn't paying attention, or the driver wasn't following the speed limit, etc.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people...with GUNS

Cars don't kill people, people kill people...with CARS


 Jim also rushed to invoke the Second Amendment, reinforcing the view among freedom loving Americans that sensible limitations equate with a ban on all guns.

No one until very recently has ever dared to approach sensible limitations on automobile access to public places, space shared by all those same freedom loving Americans, (most of whom are enslaved to the petroleum industry.)

I expect to hear more of the same, shrill alarms from car drivers that you now hear from gun nuts as alternative transportation advocates seek their American freedoms.