Comments on: Fun with Guns

By: rob

rob — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:05:07 +0000

I am a gun enthusiast living in CA, I also happen to be a resident alien. As a result I pay careful attention to the firearms laws and I can’t help but be frustrated with them.
I don’t understand why a license is required for a car, which kills someone just as dead as a gun when handled by someone who is careless.
I also wonder why it would be such a big deal to make licenses mandatory for firearms ownership (even just a hunting license would be better than nothing,) and then removing the CA firearms restrictions.
As stated in the laws and acts regulating firearms in CA, our local shooting ranges and gun clubs get federal aid to operate based on statewide active hunting licenses.
If we had more safe shooting zones and more aware gun users along with a more reliable way if determining who gets to own a gun and who does not, I’m sure the number of accidents involving guns would decrease drastically, not to mention helping to remove the stigma surrounding guns/ gun ownership in ca.
Just a thought.

By: Don

Don — Sun, 20 May 2012 19:03:13 +0000

There are a lot of people that are critical and scared of guns. That is because they do not know how to handle or shoot one. Not knowing how to use a gun is like not knowing how to swim because you are scared of the water. But both can save your’s or someone else’s life if you learn how.

Keeping your guns in a secured place with the key & ammunition stored separately in a safe place will definitely deter gun theft and keep them away from small children. This will also limit personal liability from unsecured firearms. Also as an extra precaution, I suggest writing down all serial numbers, model numbers and descriptions of each gun with photos and storing this information separately. This will be very beneficial if, for some reason, they are stolen. It will also make it a lot easier for police to recover the guns and return them to the rightful owner when the thieves are caught or the guns sold to Pawn Shops, etc. This information will also be beneficial in insurance claims of stolen firearm.

By: IraqVet1999

IraqVet1999 — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:16:22 +0000

Lol good one.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:57:40 +0000

Ya, see? Mix up clearing and cleaning, and you’ve got an unintended discharge!

By: IraqVet1999

IraqVet1999 — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:53:46 +0000

I ment clearing not cleaning

By: IraqVet1999

IraqVet1999 — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:52:41 +0000

Pulled the trigger and shot someone? That’s the manufacturer’s fault how??? It’s called cleaning and making safe. But do some research the military and law enforcement world has many such negligent discarges every day. As to bumping the weapon and it going off manufacturers set the trigger pressure, its not there fault if someone messes with the sensitivity of the trigger.

By: robertwatkins

robertwatkins — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:14:37 +0000

IraqVet1999, what you can do is have greater responsibility on the manufacturers. Start with a minimum of a federal safety standard to ensure guns can’t be discharged by dropping them, for example, along with things like recall mechanisms to force manufacturers to fix them. You know, the same as exist for, say, cars (an equally dangerous tool used by the general public).

Go read some of the stories. The guy who killed his brother was trying to take the gun apart – removing the slide, which meant you had to pull the trigger. That’s bad design, right there – the only reason to pull the trigger should be to shoot the gun. There’s another story about a dog knocking over a shotgun which then discharged – more bad design; the gun shouldn’t be able to discharge without the trigger being pulled.

If you have a fender bender because the brakes on the car failed due to a manufacturing or design defect, the manufacturer is liable. If you slip on dangerous ground, it’s possible that the owners of the ground are liable. If you get someone pregnant because the condom broke and you can show that the condom was badly made, the manufacturer is liable. Why not apply the same standards and principles to gun manufacturers?

(And yes, I would say that if you left a loaded gun around, without the safety enabled, and a child picked it up and fired the gun, then you should be liable for reckless endangerment at least. Oh, and safety switches on guns should be reasonably child-proof)

By: IraqVet1999

IraqVet1999 — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:55:42 +0000

Well here is a thought, let’s make a law where all accidents are illegal. These incidents ‘you have posted are terrible I agree.he parents of the children should be jailed for negligence. But police and milit ary people who have had extensive training on weapons have many of the same accidents. The only way to prevent them is to disarm the world, then make all accidents against the law. If you get to a fender bender jail. If you slip and falll jail . If you accidentally get someone pregnant due to broken condom!, failed birth control, or failed vasectomy jail. That way all those people who have honest to goodness accidents won’t trouble you perfect people.

By: dan-o

dan-o — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:18:29 +0000

Makes perfect sense and I agree 100%. Regards

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:49:15 +0000

Dan-o, I want people to not fire their guns into their neighbor’s houses, or leave unlocked and loaded guns around for toddlers to use to shoot their siblings. Stuff like that.

The story about the editor of Guns and Ammo is in there just because it is ironic.