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Comparing gun deaths to car deaths is misleading
To the editor:
I am writing this letter in response to Michael Spahr's letter that appeared in The Sentinel on June 4.
Mr. Spahr's introduction reads; "The reason for gun violence is mental illness. Blaming guns is like blaming cars for highway deaths. The person behind the wheel is to blame."
Comparing highway deaths to gun deaths is wrong on so many levels. The vast majority of Americans view the automobile as a necessary tool to get to work and perform essential functions daily. Guns are not universally viewed as necessary tools and are not used daily in essential functions.
In addition, automobile deaths are almost always the result of an accident. The majority of gun deaths, including suicides, are intentional.
Perhaps the main difference between cars and guns is the simple fact that owning and driving cars is strictly regulated to decrease deaths while owning and using guns is not. All cars are registered and inspected yearly. Guns are not.
In addition all drivers must pass a written test and spend months learning to drive safely, and then pass an actual driving test. Passengers in a car are required to wear seat belts. Drivers in many states can be ticketed for using a hand held cell phone. Any adult can purchase a gun and begin using it immediately without any safety training.
Another difference is the amount of government regulation involved in the manufacture of cars. Automobiles have seat belts, airbags and back up cameras as a result of government regulation to make them safer. When an automobile is shown to have safety issues such as an airbag failure or a brake failure that model car is recalled and the defect corrected.
Finally, government designs, regulates, and builds roads and bridges to make them safer. Traffic signs, lane markers, and dividers are all examples of this. The only real comparison between the two is the fact that about the same number of people die each year due to guns' and automobiles' use. There are no other similarities and gun fanatics should stop comparing gun deaths to automobile deaths.
While all of the suicides and some of the mass killings are caused by mental illness, it's not the only reason for gun violence. Gun violence has many causes including drugs, greed, racial hatred, religious hatred and domestic abuse. None of these things are considered mental illness.
In addition, it often happens that mental illness isn't manifested before the action and occasionally we never get an indication of mental illness or a motive. The Las Vegas shooter who killed 60 and wounded over 500 comes to mind.
Harry M. Geedey
Lewistown