# Guns: What's the big deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 9, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145 "2009-02-09T23:13:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/141 "2009-02-12T19:32:53Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](#): > > I didn’t hijack. I was commenting on the “fear” of guns, which is pertinent to the ongoing content of this thread. > > Making a valid point against your argument isn’t the same as hijacking. I didn’t accuse you of hijaking by bringing up cars, I think it’s a good analogy. I was accused of hijaking by responding to your post. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/142 "2009-02-12T19:47:26Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I didn’t accuse you of hijaking by bringing up cars, I think it’s a good analogy. I was accused of hijaking by responding to your post. Sorry, my misunderstanding. My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/143 "2009-02-12T20:04:17Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > For the sake of you gun advocates, I’ll t y p e r e a l l y s l o w l y. C’mon now, this is Great Debates. Snarks and personal insults belong in the Pit. > [@DanBlather](#): > > The case was made that people have an irrational fear of **cars**. By whom? I made the case that people \*do not \*have an irrational fear of cars. > [@DanBlather](#): > > The case was made that people have an irrational fear of cars. By extension, I \*\*assume \*\*that your concern is that this fear will manifest itself in gun regulations you find onerous. Now if your \*\*presumption \*\*is true, then we would expect that cars, which you say people are not irrationally afraid of, would have less regulation than guns. But that is not the case. OK, umm… dude. I can’t even follow what you’re saying here. (1) I’ve never even touched on the regulation issue, of either cars or guns. (2) Your assumption is, and your presumption may be, incorrect. All I said, and I’ll say it again now, is this: Cars are inherrently dangerous. Very dangerous. Deadly in fact. They can take a life in a snap. Guns are inherrently dangerous. Very dangerous. Deadly in fact. They can take a life in a snap. However, there appears to be an irrational fear of guns, based primarily on the fact that they’re dangerous and deadly, but there is not a corresponding irrational fear of cars, which are also dangerous and deadly. And by irrational, I mean _ **irrational** _. For some people it borders on delusional. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/144 "2009-02-12T20:11:58Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I’ll pay you $5000 if you go to a food court, park your car on a table, and no one panics. I’ll pay you $5000 to stand in a crowded parking lot, openly holding a gun, and no one panics. (OK, disclaimer – doing this anywhere but Texas.) (Second disclaimer – that wasn’t a knock on Texas.) ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/145 "2009-02-12T20:28:56Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](#): > > And by irrational, I mean _ **irrational** _. For some people it borders on delusional. Who are the real delusional ones? Those who feel they need their guns to fend off rogue government soldiers and common criminals, or those who feel the world would be a safer place with fewer fire arms? Tonight on my local news channel I saw a story about guns disguised as torches and mobile phones, being bought in Eastern Europe for £50 and now on the streets of Manchester. The arms industry actively encourages the production of this sort of evil shit. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/146 "2009-02-12T21:15:06Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > I saw a story about guns disguised as torches FYI, if needed: “torches”= Brit for flashlight. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/147 "2009-02-13T00:44:34Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Tonight on my local news channel I saw a story about guns disguised as torches and mobile phones, being bought in Eastern Europe for £50 and now on the streets of Manchester. The arms industry actively encourages the production of this sort of evil shit. That’s impossible. Your local news channel is obviously lying to you. England has laws against that kind of thing, don’t they? It’s inconceivable that a criminal would disregard common sense gun laws. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/148 "2009-02-13T01:58:03Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > That’s impossible. Your local news channel is obviously lying to you. England has laws against that kind of thing, don’t they? It’s inconceivable that a criminal would disregard common sense gun laws. We can’t legislate against what is being made in other countries, can we? What is more fucked up - that we can’t keep guns out effectively, or that some company is making guns that look like key fobs, flashlights and mobile phones that are seemingly legitimate to purchase in some country? ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/149 "2009-02-13T02:17:02Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > For the sake of you gun advocates, I’ll t y p e r e a l l y s l o w l y. > > The case was made that people have an irrational fear of cars. By extension, I assume that your concern is that this fear will manifest itself in gun regulations you find onerous. Now if your presumption is true, then we would expect that cars, which you say people are not irrationally afraid of, would have less regulation than guns. But that is not the case. I think you meant that the case was made that people have an irrational fear of guns, didn’t you? Maybe you should have typed e v e n s l o w e r. (Just givin’ ya crap!) Of course the biggest flaw in the gun/car analogy is that for most people there are far more nonviolent and productive uses for cars than there are for guns. A gun kept primarily for home defense hopefully will never have to be used, except if the owner takes it to a shooting range to practice. In contrast, many people use their vehicles every day. For the number of deaths per incidents of use, what are the numbers, in re: vehicles versus firearms? I don’t know what the numbers are, but I would think that vehicles would have a much lower percentage of deaths per use than guns, wouldn’t you? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/150 "2009-02-13T02:51:30Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](#): > > I’ll pay you $5000 to stand in a crowded parking lot, openly holding a gun, and no one panics. I’ll take that bet in New York! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145/151 "2009-02-13T03:02:38Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > II don’t know what the numbers are, but I would think that vehicles would have a much lower percentage of deaths per use than guns, wouldn’t you? Gee, dont step out on a limb there now… Given that the purpose of a gun is to shoot shit, and kill it if it lives, your “guess” of the statistics is really insightful :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-whats-the-big-deal/485145.md?page=7)