In the aftermath of NBC sportcaster Bob Costas’s half-baked half-time gun control rant, Dan and I wondered when the other shoe would drop. How long before some pro athlete (out of hundreds) did something stupid with a firearm, thus emboldening those who agree with Costas that America’s gun laws needs to be more “comprehensive”? By the same token, Dan and I have been keeping our eyes out for another pro athlete defensive gun use. First out of the gate: a case of vehicular manslaughter [via cnn.com]
Josh Brent, a tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter after flipping his car in Irving, Texas, in an accident that left fellow Cowboys player Jerry Brown [above] dead, police said.
The People of the Gun have seized on this tragic tale. Their claim: using Costas’ anti-gun logic, the sportscaster and his ilk should be calling for car control. Not the ability to control a car, obviously. Pro ballers’ “easy access” to automobiles.
As the Talking Heads said, stop making sense. Just thinking out loud here . . .
There were some 32k automotive-related fatalities in the U.S. last year. In 2009, there were just over 9k firearms-related homicides. The same source reports 17k firearms-related suicides in 2005. So let’s call it a wash. Car deaths = gun deaths.
Costas and his ilk want to restrict access to purchasing guns. If the public’s safety is the determinative factor—setting aside that whole Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms thing—shouldn’t we pass laws restricting car sales?
Should car purchasers be subject to a background check? Should criminals and anyone with an accident record be prohibited from purchasing cars?
For some people, guns are scary. And of story. Little do they know that America’s story started with guns.
And if they do, they don’t realize that the principles upon which the United States were founded are just as relevant today as they were at the beginning. Like . . . the right to self-defense. And personal (as opposed to collective) responsibility.
A concept that Josh Brent is about to confront. As well he should.