[lit-ideas] Re: Nigerian gun control as an example for us

From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


You've certainly switched sides, Andreas.  You moved from a we have always
had guns and will always have guns to a more typical Leftist-Pacifist
stance...
Your "side" isn't really a side; it's a manufactured position, created by handgun industry lobbyists. You talk about "freedom" and "self-defense"; those ideas were intentionally created by lobbyists. That's not a position, it's a marketing slogan.
You also didn't notice that I'm talking about handguns. Handguns are dangerous and should be banned, or tightly controlled. A good start would be to end the "self defense" marketing of handguns. 


but comparing gun manufacturers to the tobacco industry isn't
logical.  The tobacco industry is still flourishing; so what precisely is
going away?
Tobacco isn't flourishing at all. Banned in workplaces, banned in restaurants and bars in many states. I know very few people who smoke. 


Even if you got rid of all the gun manufacturers in the U.S. would that make 
guns go away?
US companies are the largest manufacturer and distribution of weapons for the global market. They are flooding countries with guns. This is adding gasoline to a fire. It is deeply irresponsible and unethical. Americans talk about spreading democracy; maybe they should talk about curtailing the spread of weapons. 


And since you have introduced cigarettes, let me point out that once you
smoke a cigarette' it is gone.  But once you have a gun, it will last nearly
forever if you take care of it.  And we probably already have 300,000,000
guns in the U.S., but no one knows for sure.
Pretty horrible thought, isn't it? Due to marketing and handgun lobbyists, we will have these things around for many years. That was precisely the intention: flood the market to make it difficult to ban.
Lawrence, on this issue, you don't have a position. You're merely wearing a T-shirt for the handgun lobbyists. 

yrs,
andreas
www.andreas.com 
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