Whatever Value You Give the Gun Will Play into How it is Used

The gun being an inanimate object, it is true, then, that guns don't kill, people do.

But, it is also true that whatever value society gives to guns will also factor into how many people die from them.

Let's take two countries with high gun ownership, Switzerland and the U.S. Switzerland, you may have heard, has a low violent crime rate. I do wonder if at least part of the reason is that to many there, guns mean recreation. Oh, the Swiss, like their American counterparts, do view the gun as a need to ward of foreign invasions, but I'm guessing a higher percentage of them go marksmanship shooting with their guns.

It is said there are 3,000 gun clubs in Switzerland. That means a lot of folks over there view the gun as good, clean, wholesome entertainment: shooting at targets.

In America, we easily run in those who don't head for the gun range often, but rather value the gun for protection of property, among other things. Protection of property can be good, but let's suppose that value, to some, means shoot anyone who ventures to trespass. And, how many gun activists have a shoot-to-kill mentality? Take the I'm-just-protecting-my-property value and combine it with the shoot-to-kill value and, sooner or later someone is going to mistakenly pull into the wrong driveway, and have the homeowner come out and blow them away.

Whatever value society puts on a gun, it will have an impact on how much crime is committed with a gun. Case in point, this news story today of the young man who did, indeed, pull into the wrong driveway, and who was, indeed, blown away.


http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/29/georgia-man-shoots-and-kills-young-latino-who-accidentally-pulled-into-his-driveway-police-say/