• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

HBO Documentary: Requiem for the Dead: American Spring 2014

2a4all

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
1,846
Location
Newport News, Virginia, USA
I was OCing while watching this.

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/requiem-for-the-dead-american-spring-2014

This program narrates many very sad, tragic stories of people who died from gunshots for a variety of reasons during the Spring of 2014. It slants things heavily toward the conclusion that the cause of these tragedies was easy access to firearms, in many cases by those who should not have had such access (e.g. toddlers).

However, it makes an issue of an overriding statistic based upon the number of people killed each year (some 32,000) along with a claim that there are some 310,000,000 privately owned firearms in the US, a quantity that is nearly the same as the population. While they don't say so directly, the implication is that there are too many firearms in the hands of individuals, thus the great danger of injury/death from them.

A simpler statistic might be that these 32,000 deceased folks represent a miniscule fraction of the population (31,000/310,000,000 = 0.01013%), which suggests (at least to me) that firearms aren't really much of a threat. I don't have the stats handy, but I'm sure there are other devices/activities with widespread use which are a greater threat.

We had such an issue in a nearby community yesterday when a preschooler found his dad's handgun and fatally shot himself while both parents were home.

Is it time to beat the Education Drum?
 
Last edited:

skidmark

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
10,444
Location
Valhalla
There you go using logic and reasoning again. Plus you threw in math to show how you arrived at a statistic, as opposed to pulling it out of your 4th point of contact.

Antis just ignore that stuff.

stay safe.
 

Dave_pro2a

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
2,132
Location
, ,
The America I knew and loved is dead.

How about the one you knew and loved?
 

2a4all

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
1,846
Location
Newport News, Virginia, USA
There you go using logic and reasoning again. Plus you threw in math to show how you arrived at a statistic, as opposed to pulling it out of your 4th point of contact.

Antis just ignore that stuff.

stay safe.

What? Was I thinking?

Of course, my stat may be oversimplifying the issue. Perhaps the threat is so small because all those gun owners are just irresponsibly blazing away at anything that moves, but their marksmanship is so poor they only hit 0.01013% of their targets? Oh, wait; do they actually make that much ammunition?:banghead:
 
Top