Same chapter, same verse
Seems Lloyd Garver isn't too happy about law abiding citizens having the ability to protect themselves in National Parks
Which do you think is going to happen first, or more often: A law-abiding citizen with a permit to carry a concealed weapon will use his gun to protect himself or his property? Or, there will be a tragic accident involving a drunk and a gun, an animal and a gun, or a little kid and a gun?
Well Lloyd, considering accidents with guns are extremely rare (just because you hear about it on the news doesn't make it common place), I'm going to say the former. The problem is in most cases, you're not going to hear about it because the crook that decides to not rob someone because they thought they could be armed isn't going to trot to the Game Warden's office and turn themselves in.
As for animals and guns, vice our evolutionary cousins, animals tend to lack opposable thumbs. Kind of makes the dexterity needed to grasp the handle and pull the trigger difficult.
And Kids? Why would being in a park increase their chances of having an accident with a gun? I know people like you aren't bright enough to look at the CDC's numbers yourselves, but I have to tell you - gun accidents with children are rarer than a non-corrupt Chicago politician. Again, hearing about it on the news doesn't make it happen more often. If that were the case, Anna Nicole Smith would have died a million times.
Why do gun owners think it's so important to have a gun with them in a national park? Is this part of their "slippery slope" theory. You know, that if guns are prohibited in the parks, next they'll be saying you can't have a bazooka in your garage.
Lloyd, I realize you're a professional writer, and I realize that my English skills aren't as finely honed as yours, but you might want to try ending your questions with one of these - ? It helps a lot.
You might also wish to think about sticking to writing punch lines for TV shows instead of trying your hand at writing logical statements. You could really hurt yourself trying to demolish that strawman. I mean, the NRA has never argued for bazookas.
... This paragraph is specifically for members of the NRA and other gun owners. I'm not saying that you don't have the legal right to carry a gun into a national park. So you don't have to send me that nasty e-mail. (But you can if you want to.) I'm just appealing to common sense when I ask the question, "Why do you feel a need to bring a gun into a national park?" The way the NRA explains it, "We are pleased that the Interior Department recognizes the right of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families while enjoying America's National Parks and wildlife refuges." But what is it that they feel a need to protect themselves from? Until now, people weren't walking around with guns, so it can't be other campers.
...
This paragraph is specifically for members of the NRA and other gun owners. I'm not saying that you don't have the legal right to carry a gun into a national park. So you don't have to send me that nasty e-mail. (But you can if you want to.) I'm just appealing to common sense when I ask the question, "Why do you feel a need to bring a gun into a national park?"
The way the NRA explains it, "We are pleased that the Interior Department recognizes the right of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families while enjoying America's National Parks and wildlife refuges."
But what is it that they feel a need to protect themselves from? Until now, people weren't walking around with guns, so it can't be other campers.
Don't be so sure. I'm not saying I've personally ignored that law (I'm also not saying I haven't), but I can guarantee you that plenty of people have carried anyway.
Shooting those bears who are sniffing around your garbage isn't allowed.
True. And there's not been a bear attack in a park in, gosh, how long has it been now? Days?
Those Boy Scouts who might be singing too loudly aren't really a threat. So what are you so afraid of that you feel the need to have your gun with you?
Oh, I dunno. Maybe crooks who know that there's easy pickings? The bear that doesn't find what he's looking for in the garbage?
... I believe the NRA folks when they say they will feel safer because of this ruling. But what about the rest of us? Are you going to feel safer, knowing that those guys in the next tent who just drank a case of beer might be carrying concealed weapons? Are you going to be afraid to ask the woman by the campfire who's playing her radio too loud to turn it down now that you know that the thing in her pocket might not be a flashlight? And will that nervous guy with a gun who sees something moving in the middle of the night shoot it before realizing it's you running to the bathroom?
I believe the NRA folks when they say they will feel safer because of this ruling. But what about the rest of us? Are you going to feel safer, knowing that those guys in the next tent who just drank a case of beer might be carrying concealed weapons? Are you going to be afraid to ask the woman by the campfire who's playing her radio too loud to turn it down now that you know that the thing in her pocket might not be a flashlight? And will that nervous guy with a gun who sees something moving in the middle of the night shoot it before realizing it's you running to the bathroom?
Let's flip this around Lloyd - What stops you from walking past a boy scout in the woods and just dropping your trousers and raping him? I mean, you've had a few drinks in you, you're feeling a bit randy, and there's some young child that you'd just love to man handle. Because we all know that many writers have been convicted of child molestation, and you're simply one set of Spiderman Underoos away from being a rapist, right?
Because that's what you're implying. That somehow, gun owners by and large are murderers just waiting for the flimsiest excuse to kill. It's not like statistics show that CCW holders are the most law abiding citizens in the U.S. In fact, compared to the general population (and even police officers), violent crime from permit holders is practically non-existent.
Every state (48, the last time I counted) that has implemented some form of concealed carry has not experienced anything that you are implying. If people with guns really did just kill over a loud radio or being scared of boy scouts, there'd be millions of gun deaths each year. Or are you implying that there's a magical force field around National Parks that turn law abiding gun owners into blood crazy psychopaths?
Tell you what, why don't you try to do some research instead of simply relying on your own cowardness to write your fear mongering articles? The Brady's mythical "Blood in the Streets" and "Wild West Shootouts" have never materialized, so good luck in finding even a single paper that supports your assertion.
No, it's easier to just call people you're afraid of murderers.