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My cuddly new pet is a Smith & Wesson
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting story about new gun industry promotions - "now with adjustible safety... in fashionable olive green or 'urban camouflage!' (which basically means you can sneak them in your Dockers). [Cue Apple parody.]
Lots of choice anecdotes here, including this line from a Smith & Wesson ad: "I hike alone. I bike alone. I climb alone. But with my Smith & Wesson, I'm never alone."
Speaking of Smith & Wesson:
One industry initiative that is being widely embraced is an emphasis on safety features to lure people frightened of firearms -- a notable reversal from a few years ago when Smith & Wesson was the lone gun manufacturer to agree to a Clinton administration demand to install internal locks. (The brand was widely boycotted as a result.)
Boycotted for installing safety locks!? Why is it that every article about the gun industry makes me think that the last people who should be owning guns are gun owners.
At risk of changing the subject, this reminds me of another point I wanted to make about Levitt and Dubner's book Freakonomics. In one chapter, the authors tout risk analysis data showing that kids are more likely to die from falling in a swimming pool than from having a gun in the house. At least with a swimming pool, people enjoy the pleasure of swimming; the purpose of owning a gun in the house is to kill intruders. What I'd like to see are statistics on the likelihood of actually preventing a crime by owning a gun. The scenarios gun owners dream up - masked man breaks in your home, rapes your wife - are far more improbable than the pedestrian concerns of parents. Methinks these guys have have watched too much Dirty Harry.
Posted by Carrie McLaren on 08/04/2005 | Permalink
Comments
"Why is it that every article about the gun industry makes me think that the last people who should be owning guns are gun owners"
True dat.
Bobcat Goldwaith used to tell these jokes about gun control...
(I'm paraphrasing)
"Last year in New York City, something like a thousand people died from gun injuries. In the *entire* country of England, there were, like, less than 50 people killed by guns.
"That means one of two things. Either the British have amazing gun control laws... or they couldn't hit the broadside of barn with a brick."
"You know, the gun nuts think that a 5 day waiting period is out of line. Are f'n nuts? If you can't wait 5 days to own a gun... you *need* to wait five days to own a gun.
"I can see it now.
"Gun shop owner: Are you using this firearm for hunting purposes?
"Dude: What? Oh! Yeah! I'm huntin' Bob! Now hurry up and give me the gun!"
Posted by: andy | Aug 5, 2005 10:09:28 PM
"What I'd like to see are statistics on the likelihood of actually preventing a crime by owning a gun. The scenarios gun owners dream up... are far more improbable than the pedestrian concerns of parents."
Genius!
Posted by: Chris | Aug 10, 2005 8:29:07 PM
"Boycotted for installing safety locks!? Why is it that every article about the gun industry makes me think that the last people who should be owning guns are gun owners."
That internal "safety" lock may malfunction and jam up your gun when you most need it. Why do you think law enforcement officers are exempt from all "smart gun" legislation (and vehemently oppose it if they are not)? It's because when you need a firearm to defend yourself, you don't want to take the chance of it failing to fire.
"At least with a swimming pool, people enjoy the pleasure of swimming; the purpose of owning a gun in the house is to kill intruders."
Many people shoot guns simply for the pleasure of shooting. If anything, the fact that a gun can be used to protect your family means that it's MORE important to have than a swimming pool, not less. The fact is, a child is way, way more likely to be killed by any number of things than being shot accidentally.
Why is it that every anti-gun article I read makes me think that the last people who should be writing about gun control are the people who know nothing about guns?
Posted by: Mulliga | Aug 22, 2005 6:42:07 PM
No one is recommending that police have safety locks on their guns, friend. My point was simply that boycotting a manufacturer for installing safety locks is retarded. And if people want guns for the pleasure of shooting, as you suggest, why would they mind such a feature?
Posted by: carrie | Aug 22, 2005 9:17:04 PM
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