Subject:
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Re: guns vs. household cleaners vs. gamers (was Re: What do other parents do with Lego guns?)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 27 Jun 2000 15:51:35 GMT
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Viewed:
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835 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> >
> > > Right, but there is something about the GUN icon that freaks people out. I
> > > have tried to show people statistics demonstrating how few people (kids in
> > > particular) die from guns and they just refuse to come to the obvious and
> > > logical conclusions. (e.g. More kids die every year in the US from • ingestion
> > > of household chemicals like turpentine, bleach, soap, etc. than from • firearms.
> > > But no one is frantically lobbying to remove bleach from the public.)
Actually, they are trying frantically to get people to lock up dangerous
chemicals and keep them away from kids, so I can't agree with this line of
logic.
Thinking about it more, this line of logic is: hey, people are stupid about
dangerous chemicals, so why should they complain about doing something stupid
with guns? Two stupidities make a right?
> >
> > I think part of the reason that no such lobby exists is because the
> > frequency of bleach-related violence is very low, and almost no one robs a
> > convenience store with a bottle of soap.
:-)
>
> I do know of a young woman filling an electric Uzi-style squirtgun with bleach
> and using to deface people. But I agree that it's pretty rare.
Squirt-gun control? I'm not sure I wanna even go there...
;-)
>
> But, people lobbying/arguing/whining against guns invariably say that it's for
> the children. But the children just aren't at risk. There are tremendously
> more likely fatal hazards out there.
Children just aren't at risk? Do you mean at as MUCH risk? If yes, the
operative phrase is that they are still at risk. If no, what can I say beyond
I disagree (but I presume you meant the former).
>
> For instance, the automobile!
>
> > Of course you're correct, though; the incidence of accidental ingestion of
> > poisonous chemicals is much higher than it would be if responsible adults • kept
> > better watch over their kids and/or their cleaning products.
>
> <humorous annecdote>
>
> When I was two, my mom was refinishing some furniture and had turpentine mixed
> with white paint in a jar. To dispose of it, she took it to our detached
> garage and dumped it in the deep sink and ran some water after it. She had
> never noticed that the drain from that sink just jutted out the garage wall • and
> stopped. I was playing out in that area, not under scrutiny of an adult, but
> generally watched, and saw the 'milk' coming out of the garage tube. I opted
> to drink it and never noticed the obvious taste difference. Luckily my mom
> figured it out when I told her about the garage milk and whisked me away to a
> hospital where they ran tubes as wide as my wrist (I swear!) up my nose and
> down my esophagus to pump out the poison.
>
> </humorous annecdote>
>
> Obviously she should have been more prudent, but it was kind of a little
> oversight that could have led to my death.
>
> > I'd be
> > interested to see some numbers regarding fatal ingestion of such chemicals,
>
> I read actualy statistics in a paper source, but they ought to be webbed
> somewhere. I don't have a URL for you, but it was basically like half again
> the number of gun-related deaths.
>
> > > I've seen war gamers get angry while playing too, but they were inadequately
> > > socialized and just had some issues.
> >
> > Heh! I worked in a hobby store for quite a while, and your description is
> > fabulously accurate of many tabletop gamers I encountered!
>
> <annecdote #2>
>
> I'll always remember our group who formed at a pizza place for games once
> started without one player (age ~35) who ended up being an hour and a half
> late. He arrived after we'd been playing something for 30 minutes and • expected
> us to start over. One of my friends (age ~14) mocked him and he threatened to
> beat the crap out of him.
>
> My friend laughed at him and suggested that he might be able to outrun the
> tubby old guy. The "tubby old guy" revealed a revolver strapped to his ankle
> and said "You can't beat the bullet."
So the tubby old guy was going to shoot him in the back because he was mocked?
(Scratching head in perplexion) And you are arguing against gun control? Or
maybe we should just ban gamers? Oops, Weird Groups are impervious to
Government Groups. Fnord. :-)
>
> </annecdote #2>
>
> > However, I found
> > that typically the current generation of live-action roleplayers are
> > less-than-fully socialized, too.
>
> Gee, you think?
>
> Chris
One guy walks into the GM's apartment and spots the grenade sitting there.
"That real? 'Cause if it is, I'm leaving." He was reassured that it had the
explosives removed. "And the primer?" Yes, that too.
Second guy walks in, spots the grenade, picks it up and pulls the pin,
releasing the arming handle and THEN asks, "Is this real?"
I can't describe the panic that ensued one we told him it was!
Bruce
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