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Re: Sandy Hook families sue estate of shooter's mother
I think it also has to do with what I call cigarette reasoning... remember those ads in the 1950s and 1960s telling people how safe cigarettes were? I don't. I've only seen them on YouTube but I know they exist. They recommended cigarettes for everyone and even praised how healthy they were. 10 years down the line, a whole bunch of people started suing them for false advertising and a whole bunch of diseases they didn't know they could catch. Result? I haven't seen a single cigarette ad in a single standard publication in over 10 years of working in a business that deals with ads. Smoking in general has also dropped as a result. The general populace has also seen the dangers of smoking.
How does that relate to the guns? As it stands, gun manufacturers in the US have a lot of restrictions. I've never seen a gun ad on television. I've never even seen one online. I've seen stores ads but they're not even close to being nationwide. Any usage of guns on television is preempted by "Don't Try This At Home". Any movie with gun violence has a little screen between commercial breaks telling people that this movie is not for children. That is what is needed. We need to make the population aware that guns are solutions for your life being in danger. They're not solutions for ending temporary problems.
I think that's a positive first step towards bringing down gun violence. However, there are also other issues which aren't accounted for when people are in a hurry to just blame gun companies. It's the fact that gun companies operate like any other tool manufacturer out there. They make guns, and then they ship them to stores and police departments. They have no idea which guns will be used for what and by whom. They have no control if 10 years down the line a gun decides to shoot people up. It doesn't matter if they made a gun that once belonged to a legal gun owner, who sold it to a guy and then that guy got it stolen from him and it ended up on someone else's hands. They're simply not liable.
The intended purpose of a firearm is to be fired and used as a weapon first and foremost. I sympathize with what you are saying and some of your argument makes sense. I do NOT think the firearm company is ultimately responsible. But perhaps it is time we examine the proliferation of guns in society and ask the question as to the degree of responsibility - even a small degree - certain sectors do indeed have.
But why is it necessary for legislators to pass special laws giving special protection to firearms manufacturers that other product manufacturers do not get?
I think it also has to do with what I call cigarette reasoning... remember those ads in the 1950s and 1960s telling people how safe cigarettes were? I don't. I've only seen them on YouTube but I know they exist. They recommended cigarettes for everyone and even praised how healthy they were. 10 years down the line, a whole bunch of people started suing them for false advertising and a whole bunch of diseases they didn't know they could catch. Result? I haven't seen a single cigarette ad in a single standard publication in over 10 years of working in a business that deals with ads. Smoking in general has also dropped as a result. The general populace has also seen the dangers of smoking.
How does that relate to the guns? As it stands, gun manufacturers in the US have a lot of restrictions. I've never seen a gun ad on television. I've never even seen one online. I've seen stores ads but they're not even close to being nationwide. Any usage of guns on television is preempted by "Don't Try This At Home". Any movie with gun violence has a little screen between commercial breaks telling people that this movie is not for children. That is what is needed. We need to make the population aware that guns are solutions for your life being in danger. They're not solutions for ending temporary problems.
I think that's a positive first step towards bringing down gun violence. However, there are also other issues which aren't accounted for when people are in a hurry to just blame gun companies. It's the fact that gun companies operate like any other tool manufacturer out there. They make guns, and then they ship them to stores and police departments. They have no idea which guns will be used for what and by whom. They have no control if 10 years down the line a gun decides to shoot people up. It doesn't matter if they made a gun that once belonged to a legal gun owner, who sold it to a guy and then that guy got it stolen from him and it ended up on someone else's hands. They're simply not liable.