No, I don't know why either. 

sharke

Mystic38

sharke

Mystic38


Lets be honest here, things like this will be repeated many hundreds of times a year in the USA... its simply how it is and nobody really gives a crap... if they did, things would change.

The degree of civilised control, regulation and use of firearms is clearly listed here in the link...click on the "total firearm related death rate" to rank and see what countries are equivalent to the USA..


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

Colombia, Mexico, Swaziland, South Africa..... yup..thats where The USA ranks.

"Let's be honest," this kind of thing (i.e. children getting a hold of guns and shooting someone accidentally" doesn't happen "many hundreds of times a year." It probably happens about once a week, if that. Drink driving/reckless driving worries me far more. Here in New York, you can fly around an intersection at great speed without bothering to check who's crossing, kill someone, and the most serious charge the NYPD will come up with is "failure to yield." 


As for the rate of firearm death in the US, the figures are greatly skewed by the number of gun deaths that happen in large inner cities (with the nation's strictest gun laws) among thugs in street gangs. That culture is a whole problem in itself. Guns aren't to blame for young men who would actually kill each other over a parking space. 

23,000 accidental shootings per year in the USA and over 600 accidental deaths is being honest. Thinking that these numbers dont exist, however, is not. It is simply a smoke and mirrors denial mentality that believes that the numbers are skewed any more than any other country's data. The facts are that. Facts.

To be fair, I thought you were talking about cases of kids getting hold of guns and accidentally shooting someone. But on a wider note, yes guns are dangerous and people have accidents with them. The same could be said of cars, fire etc. In 2010 there were over 33,000 unintentional poisoning deaths, over 26,000 unintentional fall deaths, over 400 boating deaths etc etc.....not to mention the over 80,000 deaths attributed to alcohol each year.   

California reported something like 11,300 accidents caused by distracted( cellphone) drivers...

Mosvalve


God Guts and Guns made America. Lets keep all three.

 
Well, your god certainly had the guts to do absolutely nothing to prevent this young man using his gun to kill his sister.
 
 

backwoods


Freewill stevestrummer. 

Why didn't an atheist stop it from happening :)

 
Generally speaking, we're not omnipresent, all-knowing and all-powerful.
 
 

Say what?!!! On the basis of which almighty authority?

I see many folks w/ religious quotes in their signature - as an atheist, I never considered that an invitation to disrespect them or kick them. As a matter of fact, some of them I consider good friends of mine.

No point in arguing theology with atheists. You can get a basic groundwork from The Brothers Karamazov if you wish to enlighten yourself.

I am not keen on breaking TOS anymore.

Hey, and my opinion too is naturally correct :)

Right, I'm supposed to be pulling an all nighter here at work so back to the grindstone I go :)

don't worry stevestrummer. I'm not going to kick you "in the brain" . 

It was just a comment that when it comes to arguing religion Dawkins and Hitchens aren't exactly heavyweights.

I'm really not surprised.

Lack of education and the lack of common sense ability to process information
is obviously an issue that effects with no borders.

We all know that "accidents" and injury to ourselves or others that is not intentional
is often the result of ignorance, lack of focus or simply because they are low I.Q.
people that just can't process information and are a danger to themselves with only a
deflated balloon.

How one could take one of the countless "acts" resulting in the loss of life that happens everyday, everywhere,
and imply that it is a way of life for a country or that any country is exempt is just beyond my reasoning of processing information.

My advice for those that are concerned or believe they can make a difference is- make sure there are no balloons lying around this forum. If any are found I'm not certain that blowing them up will be a protective measure although I am certain that nothing can be done to fix stupid. 

Well put Sharke.

Enlighten myself?!! How about you get off your high horse buddy...

some of the posts in this thread are why I have not been feeling as welcome here as I used to feel.  just another reason I haven't been around as much. 

cest le vie

Sorry you don't feel welcome, Beagle. Sincerely. I've always enjoyed your presence around here.

You know, I'm often feeling the same way on these boards. For some people it seems, being an atheist simply means that you don't care about certain things, or that their beliefs and their right to believe take precedent over others' lack of beliefs. As if it were just the norm and as if we, atheists, were merely tolerated.

The above was a good example of that I think with someone claiming that an atheist quote is an invitation to kick him. If we were in a church, I'd understand. But here, on a music software forum? Why is it okay to proudly claim religious belief but barely tolerable to claim one's atheism? Truth is it isn't. 

Personally, it irks me when someone "God blesses" me. But I shut up and focus on their good intention. That in no way means that I accept that my atheism must yield to their faith. I simply do the civilized thing. But being told God bless you for me is almost like being told Hail Satan as a christian... Few christians would put up w/ that uh?

Similarly, it is assumed that it is I as an atheist who needs to be enlighten. Newsflash, I own quite a few copies of the Bible and I have read them and studied them - for years. As well other sacred books. I even own a frickin copy of the frickin the Book of Mormon, the Jehovah's Witness' own version of the Bible, etc... 

The odd thing is that, this is one unique place - or at least, it used to be - where there is an incredible sense of community. 

But it's also the  forum that is constantly drifting towards the same topics (guns, religion, politics, etc...). We have off topic forums on Logic boards. I've never seen anyone "God blessing" another or talking about Republicans or Democrats or guns. In fact, I've never seen a music software forum where any of these things are such obsessions.

Usually, I try to stay out of these - some people who I really appreciate have point of views that are the exact opposite of mine and I don't want to ruin the good things by focusing on the stuff upon which we can't agree. I don't want to start hating this or that guy or to be pissed at someone who is otherwise a very good buddy.

Anyway, recently, the vibe of the whole place has changed quite a bit, imho. It's like walking in your old favorite bar and quite a lot of friends are missing while other just sit in their little corner arguing w/ one another. It's like not only the forum software is falling apart but the community itself is. It's pretty sad.

I appreciate your post Beagle. And I guess that we just proved that we can indeed coexist quite peacefully. :)

I'm hoping this forum will get back to what it was. I miss it.

Sorry if I misunderstood that, then.

I am an avid reader of anything related to religion - including the sacred books as mentioned above - and anything related w/ human belief systems. And I'm very familiar w/ Dostoevsky (though in its French version, unfortunately).

I don't really have the resource and vocabulary to argue about religion in english, but in my native language, I assure you that I'm doing more than ok. ;)