re: #103 lawhawk

Yes. Too. fucking. many.

Just like a hell of a lot of other deaths in America every day. But it’s not cool to talk about the thousands that die from alcohol. Or tobacco. Or simple medical mistakes. Or cars. Or any of the myriad of other forms of preventable deaths each year that are far larger than those 18,000 gun deaths.

We have a culture that accepts a hell of lot more death than it should in many different ways and different contexts. I don’t know the solution.

But earlier someone posted a bit of stats on no-fault divorce and how that changed the nation - 20% fewer women committing suicide, 30% lower domestic violence and so on.

And then the changes wrought by not using lead in gasoline, as pointed out in Mother Jones recently.

We can make progress, and sometimes it will be with things far removed from the original purpose of the change.

I’d like to see guns more firmly regulated. I think I made that clear in what I wrote to the Vice President. But that alone is not going to change society and until society changes, real progress is not going to be made.

It has to be looked at like we have done with tobacco, seat belts, motorcycle & bicycle helmets - education, starting young, that shows people a better way. Give them reasons to go along with the changes and they’ll be more likely to do so.

Carrots & sticks.