Lupine
Member
...prompted me to write a letter. Here's the link to their website's front page; the sidebar discusses "Guns in America", as found here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/20/national/main637198.shtml
Not that I have a ton o' free time, but sometimes I just can't help myself. Plus I'm feeling a bit bitchy this morning. So here's what I wrote. If anybody has anything to add, please write CBS. Might not make a difference, but you sure won't if you do nada.
(begin letter)
In regards to "Guns in America", the Interactive sidebar on August 25th's website edition, I would like to note that while ABC very clearly appears to show a predisposition toward gun control, the feature raises many questions about the true cause of these gun-related deaths.
"For 10-24 year olds, firearms are the second leading cause of death..." most of these are in urban areas, where children are not brought up learning about gun safety as a fact of life--as they are more inclined to do in rural areas.
"For young black males, guns are the leading cause of all deaths." It seems to me that socio-economic distress, gangs and drug wars are the true leading cause of most deaths among young black males.
"Nearly 29% of those who died from firearm injuries in 1994 were 15-24"...You fail to note or comment that this statistic includes suicides, gang activity, shooting deaths of perpetrators in the act of committing felonious crimes, negligent parents and lack of proper gun-safety education.
It begs the question: If minors and criminals are not allowed to purchase guns according to gun control legislation, how do they get them? How would gun control legislation, as it exists, have prevented their deaths? Criminals do not turn in their guns. Buyback programs encourage them to steal more, but retain what they need to perpetuate their criminal activi
ty. And it is not the burden of every single legal gunowner to lock up her gun to the point it is unusable in case it is really needed. While I agree families should take great measures to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing their firearms, millions of families take the time to educate their children about gun safety, and these children grow up to respect firearms as tools.
I am a woman with left-leaning tendencies who strongly believes that articles such as this one add fuel to the fear of guns while distracting our society from the real problems: Some parents are either not willing or not able to influence their children and instill responsible values. Violent criminals and sex offenders are returned to the street every day, and statistics show they will reoffend. Police response to 911 calls cannot typically prevent violent crime. A citizen who exercizes her right to protect herself and her family can.
Guns are designed for hunting, self-protection, non-toxic pest control, pleasure sports and, according to our Constitution, for the preservation of a free society.
The purpose of any firearm depends entirely upon the person in whose hands it rests. Thus, a hammer, box-cutter, 747, Lincoln Navigator or barrel of chemical fertilizer can be used for good or for bad. We need to stop thinking of firearms as anything but inanimate objects, and begin focusing upon why violence and anger is so prevalent among our youth, especially those in specific social and cultural demographics.
The right for responsible citizens to protect themselves is at risk. Guns are part of our culture, and cannot simply be wiped out through confiscation or bans. I'd like to borrow the cliche, "when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" as I point out that similar bans have had little success in the UK and Australia, and our own past legislation has had many negative consequences that CBS and many media outlets consistently fail to address.
While I personally support the concept of background checks for firearm purposes as a means of curbing the armament of violent criminals, I worry that gun control is going too far. Legitimate dealers and manufacturers are becoming the targets of litigation in matters when human error is clearly at fault. We, as a society, are placing blame in entirely the wrong place, and it's time we take responsibility for our behavior as individuals.
NRA is far from perfect, but I decided to become a member when I realized they're my best defense against losing my right to protect myself. The organization offers incredible education programs for adults and children, but as long as the media continues to label NRA as "evil", people will fail to take advantage of such programs. School boards will hesitate to bring Eddie Eagle to classrooms. I liken this to the controversy over sex ed in schools--some people feel that giving kids the hard facts about reproduction and health, and teaching our youth to protect themselves is giving permission to have sex.
Ignorance, fear and apathy are our enemies. Not firearms.
Thank you.
(name/state).
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/20/national/main637198.shtml
Not that I have a ton o' free time, but sometimes I just can't help myself. Plus I'm feeling a bit bitchy this morning. So here's what I wrote. If anybody has anything to add, please write CBS. Might not make a difference, but you sure won't if you do nada.
(begin letter)
In regards to "Guns in America", the Interactive sidebar on August 25th's website edition, I would like to note that while ABC very clearly appears to show a predisposition toward gun control, the feature raises many questions about the true cause of these gun-related deaths.
"For 10-24 year olds, firearms are the second leading cause of death..." most of these are in urban areas, where children are not brought up learning about gun safety as a fact of life--as they are more inclined to do in rural areas.
"For young black males, guns are the leading cause of all deaths." It seems to me that socio-economic distress, gangs and drug wars are the true leading cause of most deaths among young black males.
"Nearly 29% of those who died from firearm injuries in 1994 were 15-24"...You fail to note or comment that this statistic includes suicides, gang activity, shooting deaths of perpetrators in the act of committing felonious crimes, negligent parents and lack of proper gun-safety education.
It begs the question: If minors and criminals are not allowed to purchase guns according to gun control legislation, how do they get them? How would gun control legislation, as it exists, have prevented their deaths? Criminals do not turn in their guns. Buyback programs encourage them to steal more, but retain what they need to perpetuate their criminal activi
ty. And it is not the burden of every single legal gunowner to lock up her gun to the point it is unusable in case it is really needed. While I agree families should take great measures to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing their firearms, millions of families take the time to educate their children about gun safety, and these children grow up to respect firearms as tools.
I am a woman with left-leaning tendencies who strongly believes that articles such as this one add fuel to the fear of guns while distracting our society from the real problems: Some parents are either not willing or not able to influence their children and instill responsible values. Violent criminals and sex offenders are returned to the street every day, and statistics show they will reoffend. Police response to 911 calls cannot typically prevent violent crime. A citizen who exercizes her right to protect herself and her family can.
Guns are designed for hunting, self-protection, non-toxic pest control, pleasure sports and, according to our Constitution, for the preservation of a free society.
The purpose of any firearm depends entirely upon the person in whose hands it rests. Thus, a hammer, box-cutter, 747, Lincoln Navigator or barrel of chemical fertilizer can be used for good or for bad. We need to stop thinking of firearms as anything but inanimate objects, and begin focusing upon why violence and anger is so prevalent among our youth, especially those in specific social and cultural demographics.
The right for responsible citizens to protect themselves is at risk. Guns are part of our culture, and cannot simply be wiped out through confiscation or bans. I'd like to borrow the cliche, "when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" as I point out that similar bans have had little success in the UK and Australia, and our own past legislation has had many negative consequences that CBS and many media outlets consistently fail to address.
While I personally support the concept of background checks for firearm purposes as a means of curbing the armament of violent criminals, I worry that gun control is going too far. Legitimate dealers and manufacturers are becoming the targets of litigation in matters when human error is clearly at fault. We, as a society, are placing blame in entirely the wrong place, and it's time we take responsibility for our behavior as individuals.
NRA is far from perfect, but I decided to become a member when I realized they're my best defense against losing my right to protect myself. The organization offers incredible education programs for adults and children, but as long as the media continues to label NRA as "evil", people will fail to take advantage of such programs. School boards will hesitate to bring Eddie Eagle to classrooms. I liken this to the controversy over sex ed in schools--some people feel that giving kids the hard facts about reproduction and health, and teaching our youth to protect themselves is giving permission to have sex.
Ignorance, fear and apathy are our enemies. Not firearms.
Thank you.
(name/state).
