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From: david@randvax.UUCP (David Shlapak)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Gun Control
Message-ID: <2256@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Jan-85 21:37:06 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.2256
Posted: Thu Jan 17 21:37:06 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 04:46:28 EST
References: <1192@drusd.UUCP>
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 28

> 
> A serviceable lethal pistol can be made from a piece of wood, a rubber band, a
> couple of nails, some wire and a piece of a car's radio antenna.
> 
> How do you outlaw the zip gun?
> 
> - Phil Lavette

What's the lethal range of the zip gun, Phil?  How many "rounds" can you get
off in a crowded room before someone takes you down?  What's the mortality
rate among those shot with zip guns?

Sheesh!  The main thrust of the pro-gun people on this net appears to be
"People will kill each other no matter what."  Well, maybe true, maybe not.
All I know is this: among industrialized countries, the U.S. has just about
the highest murder rate.  Now, either
we're just an incredibly violent bunch of folks ("give me your tired, your
poor, your huddled masses yearning to fire away..."), or there's something
really different about the way we do business over here that causes us to
be more successful in turning the proverbial "urge to kill" into the act
of homicide.  The first candidate to leap to my mind is our laws (or, more
precisely, LACK of laws) restricting ownership of firearms.  Tell me, all you
"right to bear arms" proponents, why do YOU think so many people kill each
other here?  Because EVERYONE doesn't have a private arsenal??

People do kill people...guns just make it easy.

					    --- das