Distracted Driving is more dangerous than "assault weapons"

[Lithium381]

Guns are made for the purpose of efficient killing. To compare it to car accidents is preposterous.. stop trotting out this insanely bad talking point. We get it.. you love your killing machines...That is why we are right next to Zimbabwe when it comes to firearm related homicides.

I'll give you your first point. They were designed as instruments of war. Doesn't mean that all of them are in the hands of people who WANT to do harm. I saw Piers Morgan shooting an AR-15 the other night on his show. . . guess what? Nobody died. He shot a full automatic machine gun. Guess what? Nobody died. In the hands of someone not intent on killing, they're not dangerous....(well there is the occasional accident as well).

Same with cars. They're not dangerous if maintained properly and the person operating it is paying attention and doesn't have an intent to cause mayhem.

Fact is this campaign the politicians are on is simply an agenda. It's not about saving lives. . at least not maximum lives. If they wanted to save more lives they'd tackle this issue first. fewer than 300 deaths from "assault weapons" per year vs 5000 from distracted driving.

 

[ivwshane]

Texting while driving in certain places in some situations is illegal. But so is shooting people with a gun in many situations illegal as well. If the gun laws aren't enough and aren't doing enough that we have to enact laws to ban guns, maybe the same can be said for cell phones. Despite laws making it illegal to text and drive we still have it happening every day. People are dieing and being harmed by the iPhone criminals everyday! It's just COMMON SENSE legislation that needs to be enacted at the federal level everywhere. We need a national registry requiring all cell phones to be tracked by GPS along with registration of their owners. Anytime a cell phone is in use while the GPS shows it's moving more than 20mph, we KNOW that the person is acting in a criminal capacity and needs to be sent to jail before they kill others. We have the technology to make this happen! It MUST happen!

If cellphone related deaths are increasing, then yes we should be doing something. I would think that logic would apply to anything but apparently gun related laws are the exception and aren't privy to thst logic.

 

[Tom]

I'll give you your first point. They were designed as instruments of war. Doesn't mean that all of them are in the hands of people who WANT to do harm. I saw Piers Morgan shooting an AR-15 the other night on his show. . . guess what? Nobody died. He shot a full automatic machine gun. Guess what? Nobody died. In the hands of someone not intent on killing, they're not dangerous....(well there is the occasional accident as well).

Same with cars. They're not dangerous if maintained properly and the person operating it is paying attention and doesn't have an intent to cause mayhem.

Fact is this campaign the politicians are on is simply an agenda. It's not about saving lives. . at least not maximum lives. If they wanted to save more lives they'd tackle this issue first. fewer than 300 deaths from "assault weapons" per year vs 5000 from distracted driving.

Like I already pointed out to you there's no logic in what you are saying.

If people spend 50 million hours driving and there's 5000 accidental deaths..that isn't worse than if people spend 100 thouasnd hours with assault weapons and there's 300 deliberate deaths.

And nobody is arguing we shouldn't do stuff about distracted driving. A lot is being done and there's lots of research into doing more.

On the other hand, at least some gun owners don't want to change anything and just accept that some 6 year olds are gonna die shredded to pieces in a closet and want the world to leave them alone to live out their paranoid existence in their bunkers and machines of death that make them feel powerful.

When the fact is the most badass gun owner any of us could imagine ends up shot in the back at a gun range and as is usually the case with gun death, by someone he knew.

 

[HumblePie]

Grr, the whole point to my entire satire is the REACTION of idiots looking to legislate "sensible" gun control over a very small portion of deaths in the US versus other forms of deaths.

There are proven and effective means of reducing deaths from other tools and shit. It's not done by banning them. That has never proven effective. We have how many alcohol related deaths per year in this country? What happened the last time a Federal ban on alcohol was put in place?

So back to the original comparison. Cell phones when used in correctly kill people. Just like guns. Trust me, I'm more scared when I see a teen with an iPhone in their hand get into their car than when I see a law abiding citizen with a gun. FAR more scared and justifiably so.

I do think that if deaths and societal harm from anything reaches a certain level that is due to the average citizen being unable to prevent it, then if the government can step in to fix it they should. I am not a conservative. I know and appreciate the proper role of government. I think of it as this way. Your average citizen is like kids in a playground. For the most part we are free to play and do what we want. However, when 2 or more of us start having problems like a fight, then sometimes a more authoritative figure needs to step in temporarily to break up the fight and set things straight. Once the situation is settled, the figure needs to go back to monitoring and not meddling anymore. That is the proper role of government.

However, the setting things straight needs to be with effective actions. With the original example, we have an epidemic in this country of cell phone related deaths. Most due to distracted drivers, but there are other instances as well. The proper course of action is not to ban cell phones, nor to highly regulated and restrict their usage everywhere.

That is the WRONG way to solve that problem. Proper education about their use, incrementally stricter penalties for cell phone usage that has been shown to lead to deaths/injuries, and alternative methods to allow for safer usage without hampering the normal intended usage. Also those implementations need to focus on problem areas and not be a broad sweeping measure at the federal level. Start small and move outward and bigger but only if measures at the local levels of government are working. THOSE are how you deal with an issue like cell phone deaths AND gun deaths. THOSE are proper laws. Not fucking retarded knee jerk bans. Those are sensible solutions to the problem.

 

[nehalem256]

Engines in cars do propel a car. However, unlike a gun the car hopefully is usually guided by a competent, non-idiotic operator in the form of a human driver.

Hopefully a gun is guided by a competent, non-idiotic operator in the form of a human shooter

 

[blankslate]

Hopefully a gun is guided by a competent, non-idiotic operator in the form of a human shooter

Too often they're not... there's been two cases in this state in the past year or so where LEO's got complacent and their children became involved in fatal shootings because their parents were negligent. Have fun with your jokes though.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Like I already pointed out to you there's no logic in what you are saying.

If people spend 50 million hours driving and there's 5000 accidental deaths..that isn't worse than if people spend 100 thouasnd hours with assault weapons and there's 300 deliberate deaths.

And nobody is arguing we shouldn't do stuff about distracted driving. A lot is being done and there's lots of research into doing more.

On the other hand, at least some gun owners don't want to change anything and just accept that some 6 year olds are gonna die shredded to pieces in a closet and want the world to leave them alone to live out their paranoid existence in their bunkers and machines of death that make them feel powerful.

When the fact is the most badass gun owner any of us could imagine ends up shot in the back at a gun range and as is usually the case with gun death, by someone he knew.

lolwut? How many cellphone-miles are worth a human life? I don't see how you can try and draw a comparison at all. Prohibiting gun availability and free carrying directly impacts the ability of people to defend themselves from harm. I can't imagine any situation in which texting while driving could save a life.

 

[Lithium381]

Too often they're not... there's been two cases in this state in the past year or so where LEO's got complacent and their children became involved in fatal shootings because their parents were negligent. Have fun with your jokes though.

You seem to be under the mindset that death by gun is somehow more tragic than other forms of death.

• From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 347 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.2
• About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.2 For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.1

• 
  http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html

Once again, preventable and tragic just like the deaths of these children you mention because of negligence. Why in your mind are guns EVIL? It is the intent of the weilder, not the object itself. Admit that, please.



Only 300 deaths from rifles annually and fewer still from the scary "assault weapons" that are part of that group.



So deaths by driving accident are less tragic because the person drove 10000000000 miles before dying?

 

[Tom]

lolwut? How many cellphone-miles are worth a human life? I don't see how you can try and draw a comparison at all. Prohibiting gun availability and free carrying directly impacts the ability of people to defend themselves from harm. I can't imagine any situation in which texting while driving could save a life.

Who's talking about prohibiting guns ? Not me.

I'm all for controlling txting while driving. That isn't what this thread is about.

This thread essentially says do nothing about guns becasue people txt while they drive and that's worse than anything we could do about guns.

This thread isn't about doing something different about guns other than a ban, which I would agree with.

 

[blankslate]

You seem to be under the mindset that death by gun is somehow more tragic than other forms of death.

I'm under the mindset that guns can be particularly dangerous even without other factors if the owner is negligent. For example leaving a loaded weapon where a child might grab a hold of it.

The cell phones that have been to focus of this thread aren't dangerous until people start driving or even walking while texting or sometimes even talking on the phones.

Which would alarm you more... a toddler getting a hold of their parents gun? or their parents cell phone?

Now your bringing in drowning deaths as another comparison? So you're just going to bring up every possible way of dying? ok.

As I've said I don't see anything wrong with legislation focused on reducing fatal accidents in which cell phones are a contributing factor. As for the drowning deaths for the age groups you mention. Adding water safety classes to the curriculum would be something I would bring up if I was a principle or teacher or parent with a child in a school.

 

[Lithium381]

Who's talking about prohibiting guns ? Not me.

I'm all for controlling txting while driving. That isn't what this thread is about.

This thread essentially says do nothing about guns becasue people txt while they drive and that's worse than anything we could do about guns.

This thread isn't about doing something different about guns other than a ban, which I would agree with.

Thread is about there are so many other more dangerous things out there than "assault weapons" that we could concentrate on but the government has an agenda which doesn't fit fact and logic in terms of apparent priorities.

 

[Lithium381]

I'm under the mindset that guns can be particularly dangerous even without other factors if the owner is negligent. For example leaving a loaded weapon where a child might grab a hold of it.

The cell phones that have been to focus of this thread aren't dangerous until people start driving or even walking while texting or sometimes even talking on the phones.

Which would alarm you more... a toddler getting a hold of their parents gun? or their parents cell phone?

Now your bringing in drowning deaths as another comparison? So you're just going to bring up every possible way of dying? ok.

As I've said I don't see anything wrong with legislation focused on reducing fatal accidents in which cell phones are a contributing factor. As for the drowning deaths for the age groups you mention. Adding water safety classes to the curriculum would be something I would bring up if I was a principle or teacher or parent with a child in a school.

then as others have suggested, why not gun education in schools? The more you know about something the less scary it becomes and you understand how to properly handle the situation. . .

I'm more likely to die from a person driving and not paying attention than being killed with a rifle. Why are you focusing on toddlers and kids only? My daughter is 2 and knows not to touch my gun. Do I leave it laying around loaded? No, but in case of my own negligence she won't touch it.

 

[zinfamous]

talking on the phone--handsfree or not--is already more dangerous than DUI/DWI. Texting is even more dangerous. funny, the difference between handsfree and not is in fact, completely insignificant. One hand on the wheel is irrelevant to the distraction caused by a phone conversation.

:hmm:


wait a tic...is someone trying to compare this to gun deaths?

OH LAWL!

 

[blankslate]

then as others have suggested, why not gun education in schools? The more you know about something the less scary it becomes and you understand how to properly handle the situation. . .

The only gun safety kids those the ages in the information that you quoted 14 and under should be stay away from guns and if they find a loaded gun that is out in the open or lost somewhere to notify a responsible adult.

Anything more should be handled by the parent.

As I've asked which no one has answered or addressed yet....

The analogy deliberately ignores the fact that cell phones are, in the vast majority of cases that involve only the phone by itself, nowhere near as dangerous as a loaded gun can be.

For instance what would you let a toddler play with? Your cell phone or the gun in that holster under your shirt?

The cell phones that have been to focus of this thread aren't dangerous until people start driving or even walking while texting or sometimes even talking on the phones.

Which would alarm you more... a toddler getting a hold of their parents gun? or their parents cell phone?

Now your bringing in drowning deaths as another comparison? So you're just going to bring up every possible way of dying? ok.

Well?

 

[shortylickens]

I agree cars are more deadly than guns, mostly because people dont see them as deadly and dont respect the power.
Which is why they run around in their large steel death machines while talking on the phone or swatting children in the back OR PLAYING WITH THEIR FUCKING DOG!!

 

[OverVolt]

Its pretty obvious to me that gun control isn't about altruistic "saving lives" so I dunno what its about. It just makes the democrats look kinda dumb at this point.

 

[Lithium381]

The only gun safety kids those the ages in the information that you quoted 14 and under should be stay away from guns and if they find a loaded gun that is out in the open or lost somewhere to notify a responsible adult.

Anything more should be handled by the parent.

As I've asked which no one has answered or addressed yet....




Well?

Quote:


Quote:
Originally Posted by blankslate
The cell phones that have been to focus of this thread aren't dangerous until people start driving or even walking while texting or sometimes even talking on the phones.

Which would alarm you more... a toddler getting a hold of their parents gun? or their parents cell phone?

Now your bringing in drowning deaths as another comparison? So you're just going to bring up every possible way of dying? ok.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The guns that have been the focus of this thread aren't dangerous until people start misusing them. I suppose the gun would be more alarming . . . but we were talking about driving, why would you bring toddlers into it? I haven't seen that many children driving. Oh, that's right "think of the children!"

We could bring up many arguments... which would you rather your child pick up: a knife or the cell phone? rat pellets or the cell phone? See, it's really a moot argument point as to why we should be restricting these instead of educating..

 

[Lithium381]

I agree cars are more deadly than guns, mostly because people dont see them as deadly and dont respect the power.
Which is why they run around in their large steel death machines while talking on the phone or swatting children in the back OR PLAYING WITH THEIR FUCKING DOG!!

So the next time you see someone talking on their cell phone or otherwise distracted while driving their assault vehicle honk at them....personally if i see someone on a cell phone while driving i purposefully get in front of them and slow down. hopefully i've saved many lives in this manner.

 

[blankslate]

The guns that have been the focus of this thread aren't dangerous until people start misusing them. I suppose the gun would be more alarming . . . but we were talking about driving, why would you bring toddlers into it? I haven't seen that many children driving. Oh, that's right "think of the children!"

We could bring up many arguments... which would you rather your child pick up: a knife or the cell phone? rat pellets or the cell phone? See, it's really a moot argument point as to why we should be restricting these instead of educating..

That's the point. Cell phones are dangerous in particular situations because people injure themselves quite handily if they are texting or talking on the phone while walking as well as the obvious potential for hard while they are driving.

It's even worse when they are driving.

I've already addressed the restrictions. Restricting phone use while driving is perfectly acceptable just as restrictions on firearms are.

I've already said what the education should be for guns in schools should be. Stress to adolescents that guns when handled improperly can be dangerous and not to touch them unless they are supervised by their parents and if they find a firearm laying out somewhere (yes it has happened, luckily not that often) to contact an adult.

Anything more? Up to the parents.

Cell phone use should be stressed as potentially hazardous while walking and very hazardous while your driving.

 

[Exterous]

testing and driving is insane. i don't understand why people do it.

Especially when the test is on a scantron sheet. Trying to fill in those little circles completely without going over the line is hard while driving!

Seriously we need to get our priorities straight.

But cell phones aren't scary and everyone has them. It is far better to only inhibit the rights of those people who have things we don't like or want.