Actually, I think we need some form of mental health care system and stricter automobile laws to prevent teenagers from accessing such deadly weapons.

Restrict vehicles to 21+ and also require re-testing every year in order to retain driving permit, then require that only those with a reason should own a vehicle or drive.



You don't need a Vehicle, you can get Uber or ride public transportation.

Also, free mental health screenings and help. How many lives would be saved if alcoholic-drivers and suicides just got help, it would certainly knock some of those "Gun related" death's off though I doubt it would improve vehicle-related deaths much.

damn, totally agree with Kharn on this one... just pass a mental health screenings for gun purchases law, and stop prescribing people these anti-depressants that make people go nuts.



btw im a classical liberal / libertarian

Rather interesting you decided to point out vehicular fatalities in your post, and potentially needing a stricter system/education regarding driver's licenses. Through looking it up (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... death_rate) we can see that in my country, Norway (will be using it as an example), the amount of deaths due to traffic accidents per 100,000 inhabitants was more than 3 times lower than that of the US. Furthermore, to be fair in this discussion, the amount of fatal traffic accidents per 100,000 vehicles is more than twice for the US compared to Norway. From what I have heard and read regarding the issue of drivers' education in pursuit of a license in the US compared to the requirements in Norway, obtaining a driver's license is far easier and requires a lot less education than here in Norway. I am also uncertain how the US handles seniors' licenses, but in Norway seniors are required to re-test every X amount of years if their doctor suggest to do so. In conclusion, maybe drivers' education in the US is something worth discussing.

However, I don't think the issue of fatal traffic accidents is something that means looking into stricter firearm regulations becomes a non-issue. Not only are vehicles far more common-place, but each and every one of us probably interacts with vehicles several times per day on average.

Having said that, I don't have a particular opinion on gun control in the US. While I am happy with how strict regulations are surrounding firearms in my country (Norway), I am uncertain how implementing such regulations would work in the US, and if the US is past a point of no return due to the vast amount of firearms already owned.

Both Firearms and Vehicles are things every American can get, and both are things that if used incorrectly or with intent to harm can and do kill. Both are commonplace in the USA, and one causes more deaths than the other, and a huge amount of those deaths are children as well. But only one of those 2 things are actually regulated by the US government, regulated so heavily that if the 2 were compared it would be obvious which has more restrictions upon it.

You MUST be 18 to purchase and own a firearm(Rifles/shotguns), must pass a simple background check.

Anyone can buy and own a vehicle, even someone below the age to drive can legally own a vehicle and even drive it on private property, in some states a 15-year-old can legally drive a vehicle without an adult if they live on a farm and have an Agriculture related need. Even if you repeatedly prove you can't drive responsibly you will still be able to, people with multiple DUI's(Driving Under the Influence), can still operate and drive vehicles.

Want to buy a firearm? You will need:

Money.
Must be 18+ for Rifles/Shotguns and 21+ for Pistols/handguns.
Can't be a felon.
Must have identification.
Must prove you are a citizen of that state.
No mental-health issues on record.
No criminal history/misdemeanors either if you want a handgun.
Can't be on any government watch-lists. i.e. FBI, TSA, FSA.


Want to buy a car/truck? You will need:

Money.
No age requirements for sale.
Some states you must have insurance, but that became required due to the number of vehicle accidents(Lol).
So many accidents/death happens each year the government would rather you pay insurance than enact restrictions that could save lives.
Even if you have a criminal record, even if your record includes a DUI, even if your record indicates you were a felon, you may still own and operate a vehicle.

And guessing since most death in the 12-19-year-old age-range are motor-vehicle related that worrying about a fellow-student bringing a gun to class should be the least of your worries if you are being driven to school/home.


Also....What the fuck is "Other"? And how can we pass some law/regulations to restrict "Other"?

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db37.htm

Look up the percentage of gun-related deaths that are gang-related... it's over half... restrict guns, those gangbangers will still have them.

Don't compare other countries to the U.S and say "it worked there!". Other countries are vastly different in culture, laws, geography, government, history etc etc.

Thank you for the specifics of regulations regarding both. From what I know or at least have heard though, gun regulations often vary heavily depending on states, do they not? I swear I have heard examples of states or at least sub-states where you can essentially freely buy guns at un-regulated auctions, for example. I might be wrong however.

As for the driver/vehicle regulations, that does seem like a fairly big issue in the US. People do tend to forget a car is, at least in the wrong hands, a several tonne killing machine. Which is why in Norway, and a lot of other European countries, the regulations are a lot stricter. One example is Scotland. I remember a friend of my brother's getting his driver's license in Scotland, which for some reason was still valid in Norway, and it felt unsafe to be a passenger with him as the driver.

As for Firearm regulations, I feel the bigger issue can often be how polarising of a subject it is. It seems a lot of people tend to think you either have to be for the right to bear arms, or against, when there are a lot of middle-points in-between. Admittedly I don't know as much regarding the issue as most Americans probably do, so I appreciate being educated in the matter.

One issue however in comparing regulations for, as well as statistics for vehicles and firearms, is that the purposes of either is most often entirely different. Vehicles are designed to be, and sold as transport methods. Firearms are designed to be, and sold as weapons. Whether the intentional use for those firearms is harmless to humans, its main purpose still is a weapon, correct hands or not. A vehicle on the other hand, is intended as a method of transportation in the correct hands, that quickly can become a weapon in the wrong hands.

The same could be said of martial arts, or knives as the case in the UK where knife related crime skyrocketed, which also has a policy on the purchasing of anything related to knives.



Also, firearms are tools as well, in this country, there are trained hunters/guides who rely on firearms for protection when out in the wilderness. Not to mention certain area's of the US still have huge amounts of wild animals, bears and cougars still pose a threat to humans and do attack yearly. One other fact that might shock people in the UK and EU is that some areas of the US do not have police protection, meaning that if you were attacked by people/animals you would be completely on your own to defend yourself.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1353085

Also consider that people living in far-off places like Alaska, where police are located only in places near cities or near dense population, but not everyone lives within a 30-minute window of protection, in some cases, the officers would take up to an hour or even days to reach you if you were attacked by person/animal. Even I, at certain times in my life, have been 45 minutes from the nearest police officer/ambulance, which would mean that if I have some terminal situation either health or situation I would be dead unless I can defend myself.

Yeah making regulations in European countries and in the US definitely is different. At the end of the day, the US with its states is essentially a continent in its own right, with its varying ecosystems, climates, as well as cultures. So I get what you mean about it being a necessary tool in some areas. Due to this, a blanket-solution probably wouldn't work out great. Regardless however, whether used as a tool for defence, a tool for hunting/survival, or whatever else, firearms are still weapons first and foremost.