To reduce violence, solve issues with people not guns

December 4, 2015
gun over american flag

gun over american flag

OPINION by OTIS PAGE

While President Barack Obama cites Climate Change as our nation’s greatest threat, he rationalizes the San Bernardino massacre as a gun issue initially discounting the terrorist implications.

His insistent conclusion that the guns are the problem should be placed in this context: Guns are involved in approximately 10,000 deaths a year. Contrasted with this, automobile accidents are involved in approximately 30,000 deaths a year.

Given, as Obama states, guns are responsible for the deaths then it follows automobiles are also responsible for the deaths.

This is not an equivocation of the facts. The comparison places the matter in context.

Therefore, following Obama’s rationale, it is not the people using the guns, or the people driving the automobiles that are responsible,  it’s the guns and the autos.

So, one must get rid of or reduce the guns and the automobiles to decrease the number of deaths.

The fallacy here in Obama’s thinking is as follows: It is the people using the guns and automobiles that cause the deaths.

To truly and realistically reduce death incidents means solving the people problem using the guns and automobiles if there is to be a true reduction of deaths.

Guns are not the issue. Obama is wrong.  People using guns is the issue!

Otis Page is a resident of Arroyo Grande. He is not a member of the NRA and he does not own a gun. However, he does drive a car.


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Silly article.


The fact is gun control will not reduce gun-related crime as criminals, by definition, don’t follow laws. This has been proven time and time again.


Many good people gave their lives for the rights we enjoy today. These rights will not be surrendered easily. How can anyone suggest this is the right time to give up our guns when the enemy has breached the gates.


People don’t kill people, guns do.


I believe the true fallacy is that if you ban guns there will be no more guns.


If you make gun ownership illegal, then only the criminals will have guns.


What stops an armed intruder from kicking in my door? He might be facing a bullet on the other side.

Obama knows these things. He makes decisions based on ideology and increasing government control, not about what’s good for the country.


Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

Heart disease: 611,105

Cancer: 584,881

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 149,205

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 130,557

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,978

Alzheimer’s disease: 84,767

Diabetes: 75,578

Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,979

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 47,112

Intentional self-harm (suicide): 41,149


http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm


Alcohol accounts for 88,000 deaths per year


http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/…/alcohol..


The rise in prescription drug abuse may also be a factor. Some anti-depressants actually caution the user that they may feel suicidal. So, you may not be depressed anymore, but you sure feel like killing yourself (and others?????) Huh???? I don’t remember reading about this much of a mass shooting problem decades ago when the gun laws were less restrictive than they are now. Of course, the rise in population is a major factor as well, along with untreated, mental health problems.


Wow. Talking point much?

when was the last time someone armed themselves with a car and snuck in the back door of a movie theater and ran over people in the seats? When was the last time someone drove a car into the school grounds and trapped people in their classrooms and drove over them? When was the last time someone robbed a bank with a car under their jacket? when was the last time someone used a Car to break into a house and hold a family hostage? when was the last time someone was “Auto Whipped”?

There are people called “preppers” that are stock piling goods because they feel they will be attacked and there won’t be groceries. they are concerned that people will be irrational and start fending for themselves in the worst way.


Whenever there is looting and debauchery, the kooks on T.V. act as if the Looters are these crazed people just taking things for free because they are criminals. Well, they are right. Remember the pictures of the police stealing things on the front page of the newspaper when Hurricane Katrina hit?


Now imagine the Entire human race panicking because the sea is rising and the drought is causing crops to fail and the only place to go is after those that are rumored to have stored it. Watch the walking dead and instead of brains, they are wanting food and clean water.


The president gets briefed daily by CIA, FBI, and all sorts of intelligence from all over the world. 97% of ALL scientists agree. they have 200 Countries in agreement that there is a MAJOR concern. For you to get your information from Fox (allegedly) Wink wink. is embarrassing.


We invaded a country that was no threat to us. deserter bush said “bring em on” and, they brought it. BUT, if they can’t eat and we have food, Guess what they’ll want? Our food. We’re simply in the way,


Global warming is a threat. Deal with it. I’m not going to walk on egg shells because someone might blow my up. I DO however worry that the earth as we know it is disappearing because of GREED!.


Your examples of cars not being a weapon are silly. If you don’t think cars are used as weapons, guess again.

Sickos have been known to drive them into crowded farmer’s markets. Didn’t several people just die while watching a parade when a car plowed into them?

How many idiots drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol and KILL innocent people each and every single day? Does it make a difference that the act was not intentional? No, not to the survivors or families of those killed or wounded. I can assure you it does not.

I’ve lived through the predicted ice age of a few years ago, the prediction of CA falling off into the ocean, etc.

When I get on an airplane or go to a movie theatre I’m sure as h*ll more worried about some whacko with a gun or bomb than I am about the outside temperature.

Deal with it.


AGAG1, guns were not made for anything other than causing destruction, whether to a paper target,animal or human being. A car was designed for transportation as it sole purpose, however it can be used to cause harm, yet can a baseball bat.


I feel to compare a gun to a car is comparing apples to oranges. There are many things including knives that can kill, however they have other purposes, not so with a gun.


I think a lot of things from cigarettes, to car exhaust is killing us. To rate one higher than the other is senseless. My loved one died from OUR gov’t spraying agent orange on them during Vietnam, does it matter the act was not intention to me, HELL NO.


We need to look at the cause of what is causing these deaths. We need mental health for the mentally ill, we need to screen those who come to our country better, we need to take security a lot more seriously than we do right now. Times have changed and we need to also.


Hate to say maybe it is time for metal detectors at movie theaters, as well as other places for security reasons. We hate to see the military armed with M15’s at the airport, yet in Europe it is common place.


We don’t want to be inconvenienced by security in this country, but we scream,yell rant and rave when someone does something horrific in the country.


How many schools bombing, or the Oklahoma bombing were done by US citizens? Time to look at these problems from a different angle I think. It was 9/11/2001 when our nation was attacked, do you feel safer flying, being in crowds, trusting our national security? I don’t. It is time to look at how other countries handle these things and I can tell you Americans are going to belly ache.


We think nothing of booking a flight with no back round check prior to boarding. We want security but don’t make us have to wait longer for a booking so they can check who we are. We are a spoiled ass nation who wants what they want now, and they will deal with problems later.


The first attack was 9/12/2015 we are now 12/4/2015, when are we going to start taking this serious????


I have no problem with background checks as I am already required to have a background check when purchasing a firearm in California. However, I do have a problem with the government keeping a record of what I have purchased. The government has no business in knowing how many guns I own, how many TV’s I own, how many rounds of ammunition I own, etc.


With all of that said, background checks won’t stop gun violence from occurring. It might stop a few convicted felons from obtaining guns through a gun dealer, but it won’t stop them from acquiring a gun in an alley somewhere or stealing one during a burglary.


Contrary to what the main stream media spews, there is no such thing as buying a firearm online. Any online gun dealer is required to ship the gun to a local gun dealer near the purchaser so that a background check can be conducted and an ATF form 4473 can be filled out. What the media is claiming as online purchases is a service just like Craigslist. When I buy something from an ad on craigslist, I don’t consider meeting someone in the walmart parking lot and trading goods for cash as an “online purchase”. Buying a gun from someone in a walmart parking lot is already illegal in California.


To reduce violence in our society, we need to education our children better and learn how to deal with our anger and “I didn’t get a trophy” crybaby attitudes.


I thought the global warming hoax was rebranded as “climate change” so it can explain warming, cooling, too much rain, not enough rain, hurricanes, and tornados.


Didn’t the earth have 2 ice ages and didn’t they end well before we drove SUVs?


If Obama actually believed in climate change would he fly on airforce 1?


It’s a very, very complex problem. I try to have an optimistic view that problems like this get better. I think we can all agree that for sure, it takes time. A very long time.

This may be seemingly irrelevant, but I believe many of these social issues stem from the proliferation of human life. There are simply too many people for which to account. We try to make rules within our society, but we cannot keep up.

We hear: Our jails are overcrowded. There aren’t enough police officers. Our roads are congested.

This happens all across the world. It doesn’t matter which social problem you try to fix, there are too many people running around.

Too many guns, too many cars. Too many.


What is needed is a good worldwide nuclear war to reduce the population. Problem solved. Don’t worry it’s in the works.


You must believe in reincarnation. Your scenario presents a global extinction event.

Maybe you’ll come back as a further evolved tree slug ?


Ever hear of sarcasm?