[CLUE-Talk] Bowling for Columbine

[Jed S. Baer]

On Mon, 2 Dec 2002 12:44:23 -0700 (MST)
"Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier" <clue at dissociatedpress.net> wrote:

> Hate-crime? Huh?
> 
> > And, BTW, what's so bad about giving a rifle as opposed to giving a
> > laptop computer? Both are inert, inanimate objects whose use depends
> > entirely upon the operator: the computers of Harris and Klebold
> > figured prominent in their lives. Where are the cries for a seven-day
> > waiting period  when buying a computer?
> 
> Take a deep breath, Jed.

I didn't write that, but OK, deep breaths are good things, regardless. ;-)

Of course, I might have written it. Hadn't gotten around to the
"irresponsible" thing yet.

> I agree with you that people get very silly
> when it comes to their opposition of gun ownership... but the uses
> for a handgun and a laptop are very different. In a fit of rage I
> *might* be able to take out two or three people with a hefty laptop
> but you can take out quite a few more people with a handgun. A
> waiting period is not unreasonable when it comes to gun ownership.

Except that the statuatory requirement has no capability of judgement. (I
liked Dave Winer's argument about DRM-enabled software having no
capability for examining situations, so I figured I'd steal it.) How does
the law know, or distinguish, between a gun purchased out of murderous
desire, and one purchased out of an immediate need for self-defense, say,
in response to a credible threat? I've know women in exactly that
position. There was another unstable individual who posed a threat.
There's no five-day waiting period for unlawful entry, or assault. Or are
they supposed to rely on the "Dial 911 and Pray" approach?

Lets also keep in mind the study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the
sources of criminal guns were:

    * Purchased from a retail store, 8.3 percent.
    * Purchased at a pawnshop, 3.8 percent.
    * Purchased at a flea market, 1.0 percent.
    * Purchased in a gun show, 0.7 percent.
    * Obtained from friends or family, 39.6 percent.
    * Got on the street/illegal source, 39.2 percent.

(Courtesy, Dave Kopel: http://www.davekopel.com/2A/IP/gunshows2.htm)

So, nearly 80% of guns used in crime aren't (or wouldn't have been)
affected by a waiting period.

I too, have severe reservations about paying money to see the movie. My
presence in the box-office count would be one more vote in favor of
studios funding the efforts of Michael Moore.

jed
-- 
We're frogs who are getting boiled in a pot full of single-character
morphemes, and we don't notice. - Larry Wall; Perl6, Apocalypse 5