Can Americans ditch guns the way we ditched cigarettes?

[onenote]

12. Much different situations

Smoking dropped off -- and its taken a long time -- because (1) it was harmful to the people who smoked and so they quit; (2) it was harmful to people in the immediate vicinity of smokers, so businesses, restaurants etc. started banning smoking; and (3) advertising was restricted.

The role of the government was most significant when it came to advertising. It was important with regard to second hand smoke, but it took businesses deciding they were better off accommodating non-smokers than smokers. And even the ban on advertising in and of itself was only part of the story -- it was tv and movies showing fewer depictions of smoking (and making it seem less glamorous or cool) that changed attitudes. Will tv and movies stop showing guns? Unlikely.

Gun owners don't think of guns as presenting a danger to themselves. And while some businesses can and do restrict guns from being carried on their premises, the immediate threat of those guns is perceived differently by people than the immediate impact of second hand smoke. The author of the column cites her kids freaking out a seeing someone smoking in a restaurant. Well, its not that common to see guns in restaurants. Even if open carry was banned, concealed carry would be largely unaffected.



One change that could help: non-smoking benefits people in terms of insurance; if the same was true of gun ownership, some people might decide they prefer lower insurance rates to owning a gun.