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SHOOT THE BULL DUST SCHOOL SHOOTINGS In an article called "Good Parents, Bad Kids and Far Too Many Handguns"sent out on 8/3/01 under the hand of Richard Cohen the author who is unknown to me, makes a preposterous analogy that as President Bush was controlled when he was given a suspension of his driving licence (25 years ago) to preserve lives. "In these school shootings, there's only one variable that can be controlled. We can't do away with kids. But we can do away with guns". His whole point which he takes a page and a half to get to, is unequivocally illogical, he says, "The trick is to limit the damage these people can do -- suspend their driver's license, as Maine did to Bush, or ensure they cannot get at weapons, especially handguns, as no one did with Williams". Yes Cars Kill, All Human Driven Tools Kill. If Mr Cohen’s article was read by people who did not think too deeply as they skimmed the morning papers over their cornflakes it may seem plausible, but as soon as one thinks, hang on a second, drink driving suspensions don’t work, many, or it could be said most, drive while suspended, some drink drive whilst suspended, others drive without licences at all. Some children of ten years old, steal cars and drive them, yes they even kill people with them, in fact we could ponder if any type of licence is any use at all except for government revenue raising and governments invasion of your rights and privacy, but that is another subject for another day. The logic that Mr Cohen completely fails to portray to the reader is that all "things" that humans use as tools kill, anything that can be used for good can be used for evil, yes, as he points out the car can kill by intention of a human or by un-intention of a drunken human, and so can a billiard cue, or a baseball bat or a guitar, or a beer bottle. If there are more or less beer bottles than hand guns it has no relevance what so ever. Prohibition Does Not Work. If a human wants to kill or be killed there is no shortage of means, Cain killed Able with a tool, but if he did not have one available his thumbs in Able’s windpipe would have been enough. Every one knows this fact, it does not take a high I.Q to work it out, that’s why Mr Cohen does not suggest that we can do a way with the automobile or do away with alcohol. Mr Cohen would realise that Alcohol Prohibition does not work, in fact it escalates the mis-use, he would know that Drug Prohibition does not work that’s, why he does not propose it. Instead he tries to use one line of logic to fool his readers, when he says, "We can't do away with kids"yes that’s true we cannot do away with kids. We cannot stop people with ill intent from miss using guns, individuals have to be able to defend ourselves. Guns are easier to manufacture than ‘bootlegged whiskey’. We have a right to our lives and a right to our guns in the same way others have a right to their cars, boats, trains, aircraft or wheelbarrows. Use a bit of honesty and commonsense Mr Cohen not contrivance. Ron Owen. P.S. Please pass on to Mr Cohen, or anyone else who may be interested, The copyright for this article has been donated to anyone who can make use of it as a free gift. Ron Owen |
