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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mair on April 12, 2003, at 22:40:08
My 17 year old son took me to see this movie last night. He'd seen it before but really wanted me to see it also, and I was rather charmed that he insisted on going with me because he knew I'd probably not get there otherwise. It wasn't at all like I expected - less dreary, actually funny in lots of places, but oh so sobering. Dinah has told me that she thinks people of differing political leanings don't spend enough time really trying to understand the points of views of others. I fully admit that I have an almost impossible time understanding those who are against all types of gun control and registration, even laws targeting assault type weapons, and why so many people feel they have to own firearms. What was particularly striking was to find out that a very high percentage of Canadian families own firearms, but their death-by-gun totals are an infinitessimal percentage of ours.
Just food for thought.
Mair
Posted by mmcasey on April 13, 2003, at 18:43:39
In reply to Bowling for Columbine, posted by mair on April 12, 2003, at 22:40:08
That's interesting about Canadian families owning guns. I've wanted to see that movie for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it. Did it say why their gun death rate is so much lower than ours?
Posted by lostsailor on April 13, 2003, at 19:03:11
In reply to Re: Bowling for Columbine » mair, posted by mmcasey on April 13, 2003, at 18:43:39
Posted by cybercafe on April 13, 2003, at 20:27:51
In reply to Re: Bowling for Columbine » mair, posted by mmcasey on April 13, 2003, at 18:43:39
> That's interesting about Canadian families owning guns. I've wanted to see that movie for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it. Did it say why their gun death rate is so much lower than ours?
i don't think that's right (i'm canadian) ...
i don't know anyone here who owns a gun
Posted by OddipusRex on April 14, 2003, at 9:15:32
In reply to Bowling for Columbine, posted by mair on April 12, 2003, at 22:40:08
I found these statistics that showed Canadian firearms ownership in households was about half that of US households. The Canadian murder by firearm rate (per 100,000) was 0.6 compared to 6.9 in the US. The US had 11.5 times more murder by firearms. Total deaths by firearms(including accidents and suicides) were 2.9 times greater in US than in Canada.
Murder without guns was 1.6x more common in the US than Canada.
A quick look at other international gun ownership figure shows about 6 times higher gun ownership in Canada than Great Britain and about a 6 times greater murder rate as well.
Of course statistics don't tell everything and there are other factors like urban vs rural and poverty levels and living in pockets of the country (like some urban neighborhoods) where not having a gun could concievably make you MORE likely to be murdered.
http://www.research.ryerson.ca/SAFER-Net/Content/Contents/Focusing/Overview%20of%20Availability.htm
Posted by cybercafe on April 15, 2003, at 5:23:06
In reply to Re: Bowling for Columbine, posted by OddipusRex on April 14, 2003, at 9:15:32
> I found these statistics that showed Canadian firearms ownership in households was about half that of US households. The Canadian murder by firearm rate (per 100,000) was 0.6 compared to 6.9 in the US. The US had 11.5 times more murder by firearms. Total deaths by firearms(including accidents and suicides) were 2.9 times greater in US than in Canada.
>
> Murder without guns was 1.6x more common in the US than Canada.
i'm curious... how often do you see a gun in the U.S.? i can't remember the last time i've seen a gun in real life ... and i can't think of anyone i know who owns one ... maybe things are much different out in other parts of canada? i don't know
Posted by OddipusRex on April 15, 2003, at 7:00:15
In reply to Re: Bowling for Columbine, posted by cybercafe on April 15, 2003, at 5:23:06
I don't see guns or know people with guns either I'd never really thought about it. Wait, I can think of one family heirloom type rifle but I'm not sure it's working, I know it doesn't have any bullets. If half of the US households have firearms it seems like I would know more people who have them. I guess people who have hunting rifles,etc would be more likely to be in rural areas and people that have guns for protection or criminal purposes probably wouldn't be displaying them.
> > I found these statistics that showed Canadian firearms ownership in households was about half that of US households. The Canadian murder by firearm rate (per 100,000) was 0.6 compared to 6.9 in the US. The US had 11.5 times more murder by firearms. Total deaths by firearms(including accidents and suicides) were 2.9 times greater in US than in Canada.
> >
> > Murder without guns was 1.6x more common in the US than Canada.
>
>
> i'm curious... how often do you see a gun in the U.S.? i can't remember the last time i've seen a gun in real life ... and i can't think of anyone i know who owns one ... maybe things are much different out in other parts of canada? i don't know
Posted by Dinah on April 15, 2003, at 9:05:07
In reply to Re: Bowling for Columbine » cybercafe, posted by OddipusRex on April 15, 2003, at 7:00:15
I know any number of people with hunting rifles. If they have handguns, they don't share that information with me. My husband has a vintage rifle or something from an ancestor's service career, but it's rusted and unusable. I wouldn't have a gun in the house, for obvious and less obvious reasons.
There was a sweet and outgoing fifty-someodd year old woman at my office a few years back, though. I was surprised to find out that she and her husband were survivalists. They had quite an arsenal. I figure if things are so bad that I need an automatic to survive, I think I'd rather not. She was also quite vocal about the right to keep guns to protect us against the government becoming abusive. But I think in this age of high tech weaponry, we pretty much have to rely on the decency and goodwill of our military personnel, because a few automatic weapons in the hands of the populace aren't going to be all that much protection against our armed forces.
It was quite a surprise though. So I imagine a fair number of those households with weapons would be ones you'd never really suspect.
Posted by Ritch on April 15, 2003, at 10:54:47
In reply to Re: Bowling for Columbine » cybercafe, posted by OddipusRex on April 15, 2003, at 7:00:15
Rural areas do have a lot more guns-mostly for hunting purposes. When I was a teenager growing up living on a farm, *everybody's* family I knew had a gun rack in their pickups and in their living rooms (sometimes a fancy case-if they had the bucks). I saw mostly rifles. A few handguns, but not many. The most common situation was a deer hunting rifle, a smaller rifle for squirrel season, and usually one or two shotguns for quail/rabbits/turkey. Living in urban areas I've seen a *lot* more handguns and far fewer rifles.
> I don't see guns or know people with guns either I'd never really thought about it. Wait, I can think of one family heirloom type rifle but I'm not sure it's working, I know it doesn't have any bullets. If half of the US households have firearms it seems like I would know more people who have them. I guess people who have hunting rifles,etc would be more likely to be in rural areas and people that have guns for protection or criminal purposes probably wouldn't be displaying them.
>
> > > I found these statistics that showed Canadian firearms ownership in households was about half that of US households. The Canadian murder by firearm rate (per 100,000) was 0.6 compared to 6.9 in the US. The US had 11.5 times more murder by firearms. Total deaths by firearms(including accidents and suicides) were 2.9 times greater in US than in Canada.
> > >
> > > Murder without guns was 1.6x more common in the US than Canada.
> >
> >
> > i'm curious... how often do you see a gun in the U.S.? i can't remember the last time i've seen a gun in real life ... and i can't think of anyone i know who owns one ... maybe things are much different out in other parts of canada? i don't know
>
>
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