From: pat@rwing.UUCP (Pat Myrto)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Clinton and Suicides, injuries, and Vigilantees.
Date: 23 Aug 92 16:05:09 GMT
Organization: Totally Unorganized

In article <1992Aug14.202216.22911@ttinews.tti.com> hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath) writes:
>In article <l8gnuiINN571@appserv.Eng.Sun.COM> fiddler@concertina.Eng.Sun.COM (steve hix) writes:
>
>}I doubt that the suicide rate is much different between teens
>}in gun-owning homes and those in non-gun-owning homes.
>}
>}Has anyone studied this problem (and published on it)?
>
> ... [ Study, etc deleted ] ...
>
>(BTW, under California law, if anyone gets hold of one of your guns and
>injures or kills themselves or someone else, _you_ get to spend three
>years in jail for "improper storage of a firearm", a felony.  As I write,
>at least one person is in jail because his grandson accidentally shot
>himself on New Year's.  What effect, if any, this law will have on in-home
>gun accidents remains to be seen).

I wonder if Kalifornia has had any pressure to enact any laws making
it a felony charged against the owner of a car, or other potentially
dangerous tool if someone gets hold of it and injures or kills themselves
or someone else?  Does someone who has had their car taken by someone
else, and injury results get to spend 3 years in jail and have a felony
conviction hung on them for the rest of their life?  Seems to me if
the folks CA are *REALLY* interested in reducing death and injury due
to misuse of dangerous tools, and they really believe such an approach
works, that cars, stud drivers, heavy machinery, knives, etc would also
be so covered.   If it only applies to FIREARMS, that would seem to
suggest that the interest is more in discouraging private gun ownership
by artificially making it very risky, and/or harassing gunowners, who
just "don't fit in" with the Left Coast society (unless you are one
of the special classes of citizens, who I bet are exempt from the
provisions of such a law).  For example, does a police officer get
charged with this offense if someone steals his service revolver from
his home/car or whatever?  Would the mayor Feinstien(sp?) of San
Francisco (if she still is mayor) be subject to such a charge and
conviction?  Somehow, I rather doubt it.  Any more than a certified
PC movie celebrity (such as J. Fonda) would see a courtroom under
such a charge.

More and more, CA is a place that I, for one, would place on a list
of places desireable to live or visit somewhere next to places like Iraq,
Libia, Iran, Cuba and other Workers' Paradise regimes.  I think it 
would be appropriate to hold funeral services for the Bill of Rights
in CA - not only Second Amendment rights, but all of them if one
has a viewpoint not considered sufficiently enlightened.  The sad
part is that I am afraid we have not seen the last riot, as those
without wealth or political connections become more and more
disenfranchised as they discover words and rhetoric won't keep
them safe in their homes at night or food in their bellies - if
they can even AFFORD a home.

>(For the record:  I'm a member of the NRA and ACLU.  I agree with the
>Supreme Court's flag-burning ruling.  I even wrote to my congresscritters
>and the president, telling them so and opposing the anti-flag-burning
>amendment.  I was not happy with their responses, but I'd only voted for
>one of them anyway -- and that turned out to be a mistake).

How do you feel about the law regarding liability of the onwer of a
stolen firearm that is misused (I think I have stated my feelings)?
Howcum the ACLU isn't screaming blue murder about such a law?  I bet
they would be in orbit if it were extended to owners of cars, etc...

PS - Clinton's idea of a National Police force has ensured that any
consideration I might have had for him replacing Bush is thoroughly
snuffed.  His regarding self-defense types/gun owners as 'vigilantes'
just serves to underscore my opposition to his candidacy.  I'll either
end up supporting Murrow, or holding my nose and voting for Bush.
Anybody except Clinton/Gore (Kennedy/Metzenbaum by proxy).

A concerned - no - FRIGHTENED citizen.

-- 
pat@rwing.uucp                                  (Pat Myrto),  Seattle, WA
                      If all else fails, try:
         ...!uunet!{pilchuck, polari}!rwing!pat
WISDOM:    "Travelling unarmed is like boating without a life jacket" 
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.politics.clinton,alt.politics.bush