Guns don't kill people, people kill people...

[Pototan]

...is the most idiotic slogan, tailor made for morons.

Just recently, in a visit to Boston, I had lunch with my 75-year-old cousin (I'm 71) and his 40-year-old son. The topic turned to gun violence, as it was one of the many, many American mass shootings that month.

My cousin used the inane slogan, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people". I said "do you know how stupid that is? If what you said was true, why aren't the most gun deaths in India and China? They have the most people. The most gun deaths are in America, where there are the most guns." I know Brazil or some other country may have America beat as the worst, but you get my point.

I have moved to the Philippines, where I live 11 months a year. This is a third world country, and I feel safer here than in the United States.

I now try to get back to America one month, every other year, rather than one month every year.

[BigmanPigman]

1. That is an argument that

you just can't win with some people. The same theory goes with the 2nd Amend, like muskets didn't take a few minutes to fill your rifle with powder, sticking one bullet in at a time and having to do that every time you fire compared to the hundreds of specially designed bullets from semi automatic weapons fired in a nanosecond.

[Pototan]

2. The words "well regulated"

are in the second amendment.

[SergeStorms]

9. We have a "well regulated" militia.

It's called the National Guard.

The rest of these gun-humping fuckwits are nothing more than terrorists.
They can have a rìfle or shotgun for hunting, or the ever popular "home defense", but there is absolutely no reason for civilians to have military weapons. None.

[Pototan]

11. you just defined "well regulated"

When the 2nd amendment was written, all citizens were considered part of the militia. There was no standing army. Hence, "well regulated" pertains to everyone, IMHO.

[claudette]

14. People with

Guns kill people

[Snooper9]

3. I'm always curious, so -

The number one cause of death in the Philippines is-

Ischemic heart diseases
Ischemic heart diseases remained the leading cause of mortality among Filipinos, with 77,173 deaths recorded from January to September 2022, according to the PSA report released on Monday. Heart diseases accounted for 18.5% of the total registered deaths.



Don't smoke and don't drink to much and you'll be fine!

[Pototan]

12. Ya, I noticed that

My wife has a large family on our compound, and we have about 7 employees. Every man smokes and half the women. And they smoke a lot. I don't smoke and never did. I drink very occasionally. But I did notice a lot of Rum drinking and, as I said, heavy smoking.

[Elessar Zappa]

5. I get your point but wanted to add

that the murder rate of America is similar to that of the Philippines with America slightly higher some years and Philippines higher other years.

[Pototan]

15. It is not common for Filipinos

to kill strangers for no reason. I live in a rural section just outside of the modern city of Iloilo in the central Philippines. The murder rate is much lower here than Metro Manila and Mindanao.

[flor-de-jasmim]

6. I have never understood the slogan...

And at 70 I was around at its inception. Every time I hear it I want to respond, "So get the guns away from the people!"

[Layzeebeaver]

7. Guns don't kill people...

...But they allow people to kill people much more swiftly and efficiently.

also, More babies and strife for women.
oh... and more guns for people who experience strife to kill others in an act of depression and protest against society and the system..

I think this is a strategy for the GOP and the right - keep the people under the thumb of power and allow then to take out their frustration on each other, while avoiding any accountability by those in power and in control of the capital, society and the system.

Now where's my Marx...

[Skittles]

8. so here, it's a 5 year old

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/parents-charged-after-16-month-old-boy-shot-killed-by-5-year-old-brother-in-indiana/

ridiculous slogan, made for gun humping MORONS

[True Dough]

10. I hope the Philippines

can avoid staring down the barrel of China's guns!

[bdamomma]

13. What a stupid slogan

it's people (if you want to call them that) murdering people just to kill them. Societal decline.

[Oopsie Daisy]

16. My thoughts ---

The slogan "guns don't kill people, people kill people" is often used in debates surrounding gun control and the broader issue of violence. The phrase is meant to convey the idea that firearms, as inanimate objects, do not have the ability to act independently or make decisions on their own. Instead, it suggests that the responsibility for acts of violence lies with the individuals who wield the guns.

The slogan is primarily used by proponents of gun rights to argue against stricter gun control measures. They argue that focusing on restricting access to guns would not address the underlying causes of violence and that it is the intent and actions of individuals that should be the primary focus.

Critics of this slogan often argue that while it is true that guns themselves cannot act without human intervention, the presence of guns can significantly amplify the lethality and consequences of violent acts. They contend that reducing access to firearms can help prevent impulsive acts of violence or reduce the severity of harm that can be inflicted.

Ultimately, the slogan is shorthand for a larger debate about the complex relationship between guns, individuals, and violence, and it encapsulates different perspectives on the issue.

It's definitely an oversimplification of a very complex issue and it's my hope that some rational middle-ground can be reached so that we live in a safer and more-sane world.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Extending That Logic To Its Full Extent...

...people should never be trusted to own guns.
It's not the argument they think it is.

[Tommy Carcetti]

18. Echoing my thoughts from earlier this year

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217767027

[Irish_Dem]

19. The GOP uses the Constitution to destroy and create chaos.

It's what they do.

China and Russia smile.

[Wonder Why]

20. It's brain failure that kills. The body is penetrated by a bullet

(the secondary cause) which causes loss of blood leading to organ failure which causes brain death. So guns are nowhere involved unless you beat someone to death with them.

Death might also be caused by lead allergy.

[eppur_se_muova]

21. Guns don't kill people. They just make it enormously easier for people to kill people.

I'd rather it weren't that easy.