Stutz

[Stutz]

Well, this kind of situation isn’t uncommon, at least. My own parents, while not as blatant or as serious about it as yours seem to be, have been doing the subtle hints thing for many years, and I’m 34. I’ve been told to “borrow” Christian books carefully left on the coffee table of their home, that my mom thinks are “really interesting” or “such a fascinating book” and that I “might like”. My dad has asked if I intended to bring up my kid in church, despite knowing full well that I hadn’t been to church or expressed anything but negative opinions of religion in over a decade.

When I was in college I had a rational conversation or two with my mother explaining why I felt the way I felt, and it went pretty well, at least in the sense that I think she thought it was understandable. Which reminds me, any time you broach the topic, I would advise you to do it with one parent at a time, in casual settings where you’re already engaged in conversation—long drives are a good example.

But don’t be surprised if, even after they come to grips with it, they still feel that you’ll find your way back to faith at some point in life. It’s a little patronizing (as if I haven’t put countless hours of serious thought and research into this subject, far more than they ever have?), but from parents I can put up with it. I would try to stop thinking of it in terms of bigotry, and more in terms of that they love you a lot and they may honestly be afraid you won’t end up in heaven with them, and be lost forever. I also try to be gentle about it because it implies that if I’m right, they won’t see their own parents again, ever, and I know that’s a great comfort to them to believe that. So, so sad and childish, but a great comfort nonetheless.

[Stutz]

Gallup’s Mirror wrote:

The study claims to have found a link between firearms ownership rates and “firearm-related death,” not the aggregate murder rate.

And that is why it refutes Unseen’s claim that there is no “NO RELATION WHATSOEVER between the rate of gun ownership and the murder rate”.

You’re not suggesting that “firearm related deaths” exclude murder or that such murders are not part of the aggregate murder rate?

Please.

Furthermore, that is what you yourself wrote the first time around, but now you are trying to claim otherwise.

I did not claim otherwise.

Before we start using terms like “liar”, it really seems like there’s a misunderstanding. You seem to be conflating murder in general with murder by a specific method. Removing one method of committing murder does not necessarily prevent those murders, since there are clearly alternative methods. I found the same thing in my brief review of murder in Australia, where the murder rate trend seemed unaffected by gun control.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Stutz.

[Stutz]

I used to know a lady from Brooklyn, NY and she would pronounce “New York” as “New Yahk” or “New Yawk.” Her funniest pronunciation was “because” which came out sounding to my ears like “be-kwuz.”

If you wanna sound even more New York, change your O to A in various words. So you could say you drove down to Flaaarida where you picked some aaaranges, then flew out to the Pacific Northwest and visited the state of Aaaregon.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Stutz.

[Stutz]

@Strega Thanks, good to be here. Been a while and I’m shocked at the redesign. Did everyone have to re-register? Is all the history lost? Seems like there should be a FAQ or notification of some kind.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Stutz.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Stutz.

[Stutz]

Unseen wrote:

This is a major reason why I’m the lonely liberal who opposes gun control. (Actually, I’m a libertarian at the liberal end of the libertarian spectrum.)

We’re pretty similar in this way, Unseen. I wouldn’t oppose some additional gun control measures as long as responsible citizens are still able to own what they wish, though. But I’ve been a gun owner most of my life and have a carry permit.

This is an interesting topic. Just last night I was thinking about the example of Australia, where there haven’t been mass shootings since their gun control overhaul in 1996. But I wondered, how did it actually affect the murder rate? Per some Aus gov’t statistics I hastily looked up, it didn’t seem like it had much effect. The murder and manslaughter rate fluctuates a lot but the trend shows a slow, steady decline from the early 90s through today, with no noticeable difference in slope after 1996.

It seems to me that gun control merely lowers gun deaths. That does NOT necessarily mean that it reduces overall deaths, or lowers the murder or suicide rates.

And there’s the comparison to alcohol and cigarettes that I think about sometimes, as well. Nobody NEEDS alcohol or cigarettes. They exist merely for pleasure. And alcohol- and smoking-related annual deaths far, far outpace gun deaths. I think this is a better comparison than, for example, automobile deaths, because car transportation is fundamental to our economy and our freedom of movement.

[Stutz]

Usually you have to be 21 for handguns, 18 for long guns.

And re. fingerprint scanners: that would be a nearly impossible sell without a huge leap in technology. The most important and sought-after feature in firearms is reliability. I have to clock in with a fingerprint scanner at work, and it’s absolutely horrible. On a gun it would take up tons of space, add weight, and be a failure-prone battery-dependent component. Unless it worked instantaneously and with 100% reliability, it would be a liability for self-defense.

[Author]

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