Wednesday, January 30, 2013

more on guns


PRI's The World reported today that the NRA was arguing to keep gun laws as they are in this nation by using Switzerland as an example of "unlimited" gun ownership.  The World did a good job at interviewing a Swiss man who actually was a victim of gun violence in Switzerland. They did not dwell on that, and he did a great job at pointing out the historical differences between how the two cultures view guns and come to own them.  Unfortunately I can't find a link to the interview. 
Of course I had to comment on it:


Hi, I can’t find the story to leave a comment, so figured I’d send it to you:

I enjoyed your story on how the Swiss own and use guns.

As to the NRA’s comparison of American gun culture to the Swiss one, I can only paraphrase:

America, I visit Switzerland every year. I’ve known Switzerland since I was a kid. Members of my family live in and some are buried in Switzerland. America, you’re no Switzerland.

The two cultures are so different that arguing for unlimited gun ownership on that basis is beyond ridiculous. The arguments put forth by the NRA against any background check of anything and anyone seem emptier as minutes tick by. Unfortunately, their lobby is too powerful, so we will go on our “shoot ‘em up” merry way no matter how many hearings the senate conducts. It’s just who we are... for now.

Sincerely,
...

Addendum: next day: ...shootings yesterday, more shootings today in America; this time in a middle school.  Like I said in my previous blog entry about guns, it seems to be a daily occurrence lately.  And I am just talking about shootings reported in the news, the ones that happen on top of a background of unreported gang shootings which we just take for granted.  Nothing like this happens in Switzerland. Whatever their faults, and the Swiss are not faultless, shooting people and kids daily is not one of them.

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