Tag Archives: Fallacies

That cars vs. guns regulation argument again

Guns and Their Users Should Be Regulated Like Cars and Drivers Are
As a car enthusiast, the parallels between automobiles and guns — both of which are beloved objects that become lethal weapons when used in malice or handled incorrectly – strike me as obvious. They ought to be regulated similarly.

Sure, let’s regulate them the same way:

  • Manufacturers would have to submit samples of each model equipped with all factory options to the ATF to make sure it couldn’t go too fast or too far.
  • Car manufacturers would be sued when anyone uses a stolen vehicle in a DUI, hit&run, bank robbery, or speeding, despite laws that limit law suits to cases where the manufacturer actually did something wrong.
  • Dealers would have to run criminal background checks on all buyers.
  • The dealer would lose his Federal Automobile License if a customer filled out the ATF form 4473 incorrectly.
  • When buying a car from a dealer, you would have to disclose your race.
  • Some states would require you to obtain a license to buy a car, separate from the driver license.
  • You wouldn’t be able to drive your car to the post office, many restaurants and bars, or past schools.
  • Several states would require you conceal your car while driving.
  • MADD would encourage people to “swat” you if they see your car.
  • Some states would limit your car to a ten gallon tank, and require another background check when you refuel.
  • New York would limit you to 20 gallons of gas every 60 days.
  • California would require that your car be designed to be difficult to refuel without tools.
  • Your driver license might not be recognized by other states.
  • High capacity vans and buses would be banned in several states. Ditto large pickups.
  • You would lose your right to own a vehicle if you have a financial manager to help you with your money.
  • You wouldn’t be allowed to purchase a small economy car unless you are at least 21 years old, but you could buy a truck at 18. Congresscreeps would argue for raising the purchasing age for everything to 25.
  • Racing stripes would be banned, along with a host of other cosmetic features.
  • If anyone in your household got a DUI, your car would be confiscated.
  • Cities would have their own car ownership and driver license laws that differ from others within the same state.
  • NYC would only issue 37,000 driver licenses in the entire city of 8.5 million people, and only if you are rich or politically connected.
  • Driving your car in town would be prohibited.
  • In many areas, you would be required to drain your gas tank, lock your steering wheel, and store your car in a locked garage when not in use. The gasoline would have to be in a separate locked room.
  • Many states would allow the sheriff to deny you a driver license without cause.
  • Mufflers would be heavily taxed and registered, and outright banned in many areas. Where you can get a muffler, the process could take as much as 18 months.
  • The ATF would periodically flip-flop on whether your brakes are mufflers.
  • The ATF would also classify your shoelaces as high capacity buses, and charge you $200 dollars per lace.
  • When driving cross-country, you’d actually be required to drain your fuel tank and lock your car up in a shipping container. Get a large handtruck.
  • If you want to sell your old junker, the ATF will consider you a dealer, requiring hundreds of dollars in fees and months of waiting for approval. Then you’d be subject to random inspections of all your property.

Shall I go on?

And this:

More than a little eerily, roughly as many people die from automobile-related deaths in America each year as from guns.

There are an estimated 253 million automobiles on the road vs. an estimated 393-750 million guns in civilian hands. Despite being much less numerous, vehicles are used to kill more people than are guns. I don’t think the problem here is guns and their owners.

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