Gun deaths have surpassed automobile fatalities in 12 states and in our nation’s capital. When I saw the heading of the article, I thought this would be a slam dunk argument in favor of gun control, but the statistic can be viewed in different ways.
Those against gun control will probably say that the statistic is misleading in that the rate of gun murders and accidents is actually going down as a result of population growth, it’s just that the rates of automobile fatalities are decreasing .
Supporters of gun control point out that automobile fatalities are down because we license and regulate automobiles. Dragsters, for example, are kept off the highways, and certain people are not allowed to drive. There is no such consensus when it comes to firearms.
However we twist the statistic, the bottom line for me is that we could be saving lives while protecting a person’s constitutional right to self-protection. I would love to get monster weapons off the streets just as we keep monster trucks off the road but it will probably take more carnage to reach a consensus on the issue.