Saturday, October 10, 2009

Guns Don't Kill People ...

People Kill People. But there's always that pesky fact that in many tragic accidents like this one, if there were no guns, people who should never have died would still be alive, and people wouldn't be killing people they don't want to kill. I really wonder what gun advocates think should be the punishment, if any, for killings that take place because someone who has a gun has absolutely no training in how/when to use it? Is this a case of negligent homicide? What kind of justice does the deceased and her family deserve in this instance?

6 comments:

Guav said...

Well, the man killed his fiancé. What kind of punishment do YOU think he should get? What could be worse for him than living with the guilt and regret of that?

Guav said...

"there's always that pesky fact that in many tragic accidents like this one, if there were no guns, people who should never have died would still be alive"

There's also the pesky fact that in many actual home invasions (what this man thought was occurring), if the homeowner didn't have a gun, they would not still be alive.

It's an exercise in futility to talk about "if there were no guns," because there ARE--and there will always be guns. So let's deal with the reality instead of the fantasy.   

"I really wonder what gun advocates think should be the punishment, if any, for killings that take place because someone who has a gun has absolutely no training in how/when to use it?"

There is already a legal framework in place to deal with people who accidentally kill other people. I'm not sure why whether it was done with a gun instead of a car, stairs, medication or a swimming pool should make a difference in how they're charged. 

"Is this a case of negligent homicide?"

Sounds like it to me. You MUST identify your target. Also, since his fiancé obviously would not have been yelling, advancing violently and aggressively, or brandishing a weapon, he really didn't have a good reason to believe his life was in danger. He really, really screwed up. 

That being said, I don't know what purpose there would be in sending a 65 year old man who just accidentally killed his fiancé to jail. But that's not for me to decide.  

Eric said...

My response = what Guav said.

D-BB said...

OK, so because 40 people a day die in elevator accidents, we should ban elevators and sue some guy named Otis?????

Altho, why is someone given less jail time because they are a crappy shooter and miss their target?

Andrew said...

D-BB:

I never got that. I shoot religiously, practice Kinesiological shooting, off hand and drill overall marksmanship.

In my mind, if you CAN NOT be bothered to use a weapon accurately and safely you have no business owning it.

Explanation Time!

Kinesiological shooting: Using your hand-eye motor control and biomechanics to aim instead of using the site. This comes naturally if you hold the weapon properly with your thumb coaxial to the barrel. This style of aiming is highly effective at typical self defense range (under 21 feet). Point your thumb at the targets chest, squeeze the trigger, dead bad guy.

Off hand: Shooting while only using one hand to hold the weapon. In a typical self defense encounter you may not have time to get your other hand on the weapon before you need to shoot. Again, this technique applies to 21 feet and under.

D-BB said...

Kinesiological, you sure that ain't some sort of cult?