Alcohol deaths vs. gun deaths

bootlegger10
bootlegger10 Posts: 16,264
edited January 2013 in A Moving Train
Alcohol related deaths - 80,000 per year
Gun Deaths in 2011 - 31,940

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_gun_deaths_are_in_the_US_every_year

We should try to limit deaths from both, but I would like to understand how gun owners are ridiculed for owning guns and are called stupid, but it is perfectly fine to go the store and buy beer that kills more than 2x the amount of people that guns do a year. The figures do not even account for all of the domestic abuse related to alcohol that don't result in death.

So my question is, for those that are for banning guns, why aren't you for banning alcohol? Like I said in another post, a gun owner can at least say they are trying to protect their families and want to keep the guns. An alcohol drinker's only excuse for not banning alcohol is because they want to get a buzz (sounds pretty selfish).

I'm for stricter gun control, but the amount of hate spewed at gun owners right now seems hypocritical related to alcohol.
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Comments

  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,470
    bootlegger10 wrote:
    Alcohol related deaths - 80,000 per year
    Gun Deaths in 2011 - 31,940

    http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_gun_deaths_are_in_the_US_every_year

    We should try to limit deaths from both, but I would like to understand how gun owners are ridiculed for owning guns and are called stupid, but it is perfectly fine to go the store and buy beer that kills more than 2x the amount of people that guns do a year. The figures do not even account for all of the domestic abuse related to alcohol that don't result in death.

    So my question is, for those that are for banning guns, why aren't you for banning alcohol? Like I said in another post, a gun owner can at least say they are trying to protect their families and want to keep the guns. An alcohol drinker's only excuse for not banning alcohol is because they want to get a buzz (sounds pretty selfish).

    I'm for stricter gun control, but the amount of hate spewed at gun owners right now seems hypocritical related to alcohol.
    you can't compare the two.

    guns were designed to kill.

    alcohol is a natural occuring substance resulting from fermentation used as an intoxicant.

    if alcohol was illegal people would make their own.

    people are not capable of mass producing and selling their own guns.

    apples to watermelons...
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,725
    we can make 1 millions thread like this..
    guns vs heart attacks.
    guns vs attack by aliens
    guns vs fires
    guns vs cars
    guns vs sharks
    guns vs drugs
    guns vs angry housewifes
    etc..

    people die every day..

    but guns ..made for kill..and only kill...no good to this shit
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,264
    gimmesometruth27 wrote:
    you can't compare the two.

    guns were designed to kill.

    alcohol is a natural occuring substance resulting from fermentation used as an intoxicant.

    if alcohol was illegal people would make their own.

    people are not capable of mass producing and selling their own guns.

    apples to watermelons...

    I figured this point would be brought up. And it makes sense to some extent.

    But, you make a gun by taking materials from the earth and molding them to into a gun. To make beer you go through a process of taking materials from the earth and eventually making a drinkable fluid.

    Both guns and beers take action from a person to make. Beer, like guns, does not make itself. Alcohol kills more than double what guns kill each year plus all of the domestic abuse. Yet, we scream to stop making guns. Why shouldn't we stop making alcohol? We can make cyanide from the earth, but that doesn't mean it should be legal.

    Is the ability to get a buzz more important than saving 80,000 lives a year in the US alone? That is ultimately my question. I don't think the alcohol drinkers are going to give it up, so I don't think they can legitimately spew rage at gun owners without acknowledging their hypocrisy.

    Cars kill people too, but cars serve a purpose in getting us from point A to point B. Alcohol serves no necessary purpose.
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,264
    dimitrispearljam wrote:
    we can make 1 millions thread like this..
    guns vs heart attacks.
    guns vs attack by aliens
    guns vs fires
    guns vs cars
    guns vs sharks
    guns vs drugs
    guns vs angry housewifes
    etc..

    people die every day..

    but guns ..made for kill..and only kill...no good to this shit

    No, I think the alcohol debate is similar to gun debates. We can get rid of guns. Why can't we get rid of alcohol? Why aren't we having a debate on alcohol when it is more deadly and destructive?

    Guns do provide protection. Guns did provide a purpose in their day for hunting and for protection of government. We cannot say that guns are 100% bad. Guns stopped bad people now.

    Guns can at least save lives by protecting against bad people. Alcoholic beverages cannot save lives.
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,725
    bootlegger10 wrote:
    dimitrispearljam wrote:
    we can make 1 millions thread like this..
    guns vs heart attacks.
    guns vs attack by aliens
    guns vs fires
    guns vs cars
    guns vs sharks
    guns vs drugs
    guns vs angry housewifes
    etc..

    people die every day..

    but guns ..made for kill..and only kill...no good to this shit

    No, I think the alcohol debate is similar to gun debates. We can get rid of guns. Why can't we get rid of alcohol? Why aren't we having a debate on alcohol when it is more deadly and destructive?

    Guns do provide protection. Guns did provide a purpose in their day for hunting and for protection of government. We cannot say that guns are 100% bad. Guns stopped bad people now.

    Guns can at least save lives by protecting against bad people. Alcoholic beverages cannot save lives.
    same as drugs...
    but drugs and alchohol wasn't create for kill..
    guns used to kill..protect you by killing the bad guy first..
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • MotoDC
    MotoDC Posts: 947
    Agree with OP that this is better than the much-maligned car analogy. Alcohol serves (almost) no creative purpose (other than to get uglies laid, I suppose); its results are almost entirely destructive.

    That said, we've tried outlawing alcohol previously (18th amendment) and where did that get us? Organized crime, among other things. Makes me wonder where outlawing guns would take us.

    Also:
    guns vs sharks
    Dunno why but that one struck me as particularly amusing. Well played, Greek dude! Yamas!
  • Hugh Freaking Dillon
    Hugh Freaking Dillon Posts: 14,010
    no one has ever been killed by having beer spit in their face.
    Gimli 1993
    Fargo 2003
    Winnipeg 2005
    Winnipeg 2011
    St. Paul 2014
  • Hugh Freaking Dillon
    Hugh Freaking Dillon Posts: 14,010
    edited December 2012
    both need to be looked at. unfortunately, you can't look at one to justify the other. should we argue the merits of guns vs chocolate next? no, we discuss each on its own merit. this is nothing but deflecting away from the real issue.

    each issue deserves its own topic.
    Gimli 1993
    Fargo 2003
    Winnipeg 2005
    Winnipeg 2011
    St. Paul 2014
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,725
    MotoDC wrote:

    Also:
    guns vs sharks
    Dunno why but that one struck me as particularly amusing. Well played, Greek dude! Yamas!
    yamas and opa!!have a great day on the other side of the world!! :D
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,677
    The first sentence of the first link reads: "There are approximately 80,000 deaths attributable to excessive alcohol use each year in the United States." This would indicate a form of suicide. So are you saying more people kill themselves with alcohol than they do with self inflicted gunshot wounds? What about leaping from tall buildings and bridges? I think we need to outlaw tall buildings and bridges.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • DS1119
    DS1119 Posts: 33,497
    Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:
    no one has ever been killed by having beer spit in their face.


    No but they have been killed when a drinker gets outrageously angry.
  • DS1119
    DS1119 Posts: 33,497
    brianlux wrote:
    I think we need to outlaw tall buildings and bridges.



    And there it goes. People who want to kill themselves will. People who want to kill others will.
  • Who Princess
    Who Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    dimitrispearljam wrote:
    we can make 1 millions thread like this..
    guns vs heart attacks.
    guns vs attack by aliens
    guns vs fires
    guns vs cars
    guns vs sharks
    guns vs drugs
    guns vs angry housewifes
    etc..

    people die every day..

    but guns ..made for kill..and only kill...no good to this shit
    I dunno, Dimi. I think we may need that "guns vs. attacks by aliens" thread. :think:
    :P :lol:
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,725
    Who Princess wrote:
    dimitrispearljam wrote:
    we can make 1 millions thread like this..
    guns vs heart attacks.
    guns vs attack by aliens
    guns vs fires
    guns vs cars
    guns vs sharks
    guns vs drugs
    guns vs angry housewifes
    etc..

    people die every day..

    but guns ..made for kill..and only kill...no good to this shit
    I dunno, Dimi. I think we may need that "guns vs. attacks by aliens" thread. :think:
    :P :lol:
    I was thinking guns vs angry housewifes or guns vs fart fish :lol:
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • gimmesometruth27
    gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 24,470
    i think i am going to cobble a gun together using regular household materials...

    oh wait....


    only macguyver can do that... :fp:
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • fear4freedom
    fear4freedom Posts: 920
    Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:
    no one has ever been killed by having beer spit in their face.

    Noone has ever been killed by thinking of a gun either!
    Theres no time like the present

    A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!

    All people need to do more on every level!
  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    fear4freedom wrote:
    Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:
    no one has ever been killed by having beer spit in their face.

    Noone has ever been killed by thinking of a gun either!


    not really understanding where youre going with this but thought and actions are two different things. thinking of shooting someone is different from actually shooting someone. one is illegal and quite often fatal whilst the other one is....
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,725
    catefrances wrote:
    fear4freedom wrote:
    Hugh Freaking Dillon wrote:
    no one has ever been killed by having beer spit in their face.

    Noone has ever been killed by thinking of a gun either!


    not really understanding where youre going with this but thought and actions are two different things. thinking of shooting someone is different from actually shooting someone. one is illegal and quite often fatal whilst the other one is....
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,264
    So it is settled. The "buzz" is more important than human life and the well being of women and children in abusive homes. Get your drink on folks, it is New Year's Eve in two days!!!!!! Many will die by the hand of drunk drivers in two nights, but gotta get that buzz!
  • blueandwhite
    blueandwhite Posts: 662
    Alcoholism is certainly a serious issue in America, as it is in other parts of the world. Of course this topic would have more meaning if it weren't for the fact that it is simply meant to be a distraction from another serious issue unique to the United States; one that many Americans refuse to acknowledge. The fact that alcoholism is a serious problem for society doesn't suddenly make your (America's) gun problem any less serious.

    The wanton abuse of alcohol kills thousands of people each year. Then again, so do firearms. Americans may have the constitutional right to carry firearms yet it seems that many Americans lack the respect to wield them responsibly. You will never quell your gun violence because a good portion of your population still refuse to see it as an issue.

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