To the gun lovers, **I** have the right to stay alive and happy while . . . . .

[gratuitous]

6. And in the last 40 years, we've done a lot about drunk driving

Penalties have been increased, civil liability law has been extended to dram shops to put them on the hook for visibly drunk patrons who leave their establishment, there are multiple programs to help problem drinkers, and a public information campaign consistently getting the message "don't drink and drive" out to the general population.

Have we eliminated all drunk driving? No. Have we cut down the number of drunk drivers and the accidents and fatalities? Yes. Yes we have.

You see anything in our society right now that holds gun owners accountable for careless or negligent handling or storage of their firearms? Check out the weekly statistics on firearms confiscated at airports. There are dozens every week! Are the owners fined or imprisoned for "forgetting" that their favorite shootin' arn was in their carry-on luggage? No.

Are gun shops held liable for selling guns to anyone? If they jump through a couple of hoops, which appear to be of dubious effectiveness, they're in the clear and they know it.

Do we have an effective, or even an ineffective, public program designed to help the mentally ill or people with anger management problems? Or does our society encourage violent solutions to problems through the military, popular entertainments, and deride those who seek non-violent conflict resolution? Is a "real man" encouraged to sit down with a mental health professional and work through his issues, or is he encouraged to pick up a weapon and settle his differences with others through violence? What is the consistent message to people our society churns out every day about the best way to solve problems? Does the president himself advocate for peaceful resolution, or is he more likely to tell his supporters to knock the crap out of anyone who disagrees with them, or to say that the best way for the United States to interact with other countries is to bomb the shit out of them?

Facile dismissals that don't stand up to a scintilla of scrutiny have helped maintain this bloody, violent culture.