Gun control: Silly to focus on inanimate object

Recently the U.S. Centers for Disease Controls released firearms death statistics for 2017. Lets compare some numbers and facts.

A total of 39,773 deaths were firearms related. Of those, 23,854 were ruled as suicide. That is tragic, but not homicidal violence. That leaves 15,919 persons killed either by intentional homicide or by accident.

But rather than focus on education, resources for the mentally ill or the severest of penalties for criminals, gun-control advocates would rather focus on an inanimate object and vilify the responsible, law-abiding people who own them.

In other numbers, about 1,200 deaths were attributed to beatings and bludgeoning, 1,600 from stabbings. We don’t ban, control, register, or license knives, machetes, bats, steel pipes, hammers, etc. You get the idea.

Now the big one: 40,000 were killed in automobile accidents. The vast majority are the fault of someone exceeding the speed limit, driving under the influence, distracted or negligent driving. All of which are illegal.

We don’t ban or put controls on automobiles. We barely do anything to at-fault drivers; sentences are minimal for causing the death of someone when compared to murder.

We even support self-driving cars, incentivizing negligence — a stupid idea.

Guns aren’t the problem in our society. People are.