Monday, April 7, 2008
"Cold Dead Hands"
Dear Elephant-
I saw this article this morning about a 3-year old shooting herself in the head. Tell me again why we think handguns in the home are a good idea? And how again does having a 9mm in you nightstand relate to having a “well regulated militia?” Ironic that this incident occurred at the same time as the passing of former NRA president Charlton Heston who once famously quipped "from my cold dead hands." If Heston wants to go to the grave with a gun in his hand, so be it. But what about the gun in the hand of the 3 year old? Why shouldn't we be fighting to protect little hands like hers?
Peace,
Donkey
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3 comments:
That's a very sad story, and it's another example of how irresponsible parents failed to take care of their children. Unfortunately what's not generally published in the headlines of CNN news are the the stories of parents effectively using their handgun to protect their three year olds from would-be assailants. But now again, we see that tragedy has always made for the best news.
Perhaps Thomas Jefferson put it best when he said:
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one."
Sorry, Donkey, but on this, you and I just don't agree. Blame it on Montana...
I really do think this is the fault of the parents. Millions of people have guns in their homes, properly secured from young children, and their family members are all educated about how to properly handle them.
As with so many social problems, the real problem is a lack of education and common sense.
Sadly, as Professor Scharffs put it, "Common sense is the most important thing in this world and it is NOT distributed democratically."
I have to agree with Donkey. I've just never understood why people feel more secure with guns in their homes, especially when they have small children around. I think that a dog or alarm system is a more effective way to protect your family without the unfortunate risk that the gun might be used against you in an altercation or your young children would inappropriately use it.
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