Hawaii Passes Three Gun Laws

[terracore]

"If you were to second guess your decision to book time at a native american community, that would be a reservation reservation reservation." --Brian Regan

[HiloPuna]

Terracore

I'm not sure "irony" is the right word for it. Perhaps replace with "tragic". It might be ironic when a person who resisted all forms of gun laws committed suicide with one.

I'm assuming by referencing the suicide statistics as a part of total gun deaths that you may be attempting to undercut arguments In favor of rational restrictions on gun ownership. If so I'm glad you were honest enough to provide the link rather than just grabbing a particular statistic out of the story that could be taken out of context. This is really a story that needs to be told. Following are the last few paragraphs;

"...Not all of those suicides are by gun, but a majority are. And while some people feeling suicidal impulses will choose another method if a gun is not at hand, public health researchers cite two reasons guns are particularly dangerous: 1) Guns are more lethal than most other methods people try, so someone who attempts suicide another way is more likely to survive; 2) Studies suggest that suicide attempts often occur shortly after people decide to kill themselves, so people with deadly means at hand when the impulse strikes are more likely to use them than those who have to wait or plan.

That means that strategies that make suicide more inconvenient or difficult can save lives. Guns, when they are in the home, can make self-harm both easy and deadly."

[leilanidude]

There have been a lot of stabbings in Hawaii. We should license and try to ban kitchen knives, too since they are everywhere in close reach. We should also make most drugs illegal since people purposefully overdose on them - oh, we already do.

[terracore]

"I'm assuming by referencing the suicide statistics as a part of total gun deaths that you may be attempting to undercut arguments In favor of rational restrictions on gun ownership."

I'm not trying to undercut anything- when the media reports statistics on gun deaths they almost always leave out the fact that the majority of gun deaths are suicides, not murder or "mass shootings".

I've never seen actual or proposed "rational restrictions on gun ownership" that involves screening potential gun owners for risk of suicide. You would think that if "gun control" was really about reducing the number of people who are killed by guns, it would start with reducing the number of people who are killed by guns. Since decades of study and statistics show that isn't the case, what is gun control really about? Putting legal, law abiding citizens into a federal criminal database? How does that help?

I am all FOR "rational restrictions on gun ownership". In these crazy days it's a necessity. But if something fails the common sense test...

[leilanidude]

terracore - Nicely stated. You are certainly on a roll!

[Tink]

The "something that fails the common sense test" is the gummit. Who the heck would voluntarily surrender their weapon if diagnosed with a disorder, as prescribed by the third new statute, as HIPPA laws do apply? All this does is give a number to add to the offenses when caught, the damage already done.
As a gun owner, I would gladly do the "whiz quiz" every three years on a license to own. If I show trace of anti depressants or other mood altering substances I deserve to have the right revoked, because it's a long time to think about what you did in lock down. No thank you, I prefer to have the other freedoms this country allows. I would also add on a proficiency test to see if one is able to handle and use the firearm properly.

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