The headline news from this morning’s Washington Post grabbed me when I first signed on at 2:30 this morning. We are having a record setting scarcity of bullets, especially 45 caliber ones, in this country! And, applications for gun buying are up 25.6% since January. This is not necessarily what you might think it might be – namely because we have a black president. It seems there is always a big upsurge in gun buying when Democrats come into power because the Republicans are afraid they will pass restrictive gun legislation. But this time more guns are being bought and ammunition stored than any time within memory. This just refers to civilian gun and ammunition use, and does not reflect ammunition supplies for law enforcement or the military.
I followed up this article with what Wikipedia has to say on the subject and found much interesting information about gun use in America compared to other places in the world. In this country Wyoming, at more than 59%, has the most guns kept in the home, and Hawaii has the fewest at 8.7%. There is revealing information here that tells us a lot about ourselves as a society.
I have mixed feelings about guns in the house. There are so many tragic accidents and killings due to momentary anger, yet sometimes I have wanted a gun for snake killing.
On a happier note I am in the process of reorganizing my ‘friends’ list and I am keeping up better with what my friends post. Unfortunately because we have only one phone line and my daughter earns her living on it, I don’t have a lot of time on line myself. I often get up at wee hours to catch up on my e-mail etc.
This morning I enjoyed a collection of jokes posted by Victor Yakin. They are good ones that are bound to make you laugh. I’m going to be sure to keep track of Victor’s posts.
And elizabeth e is traveling in Australia and has posted the most beautiful pictures of Australia I have ever seen. They are so green and have trees that are not eucalyptus trees. Her pictures are outstanding!
A few days ago I ran across a fascinating article by Bert B discussing a subject I know nothing about, even its proper name – arbitrage. It is about money exchange and how people get rich doing it. Sounds like something I should learn. It can be done sitting down at home I think. You don’t have to have good legs for that, just a good brain. Oh well, that leaves me out!
It’s going on 6:30 and I’d better post this before my daughter gets up and wants the phone line connection.
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Comments: 5
In one of the first readings for the course I'm TAing, there were a whole lot of statistics about Americans vs Canadians.
There were some pretty big differences.
on the question of whether "violence is a normal part of life" for example
1992 - Canada 9%; US 10%
1996 - Canada 9%; US 18%
2000 - Canada 12%; US 24%
Ruth, I live in the South, and sometimes the things I hear scare me to death almost. Our state has passed a law or is about to, that means people will be able to carry guns to public places. Now we live in a very large and already violent city. People here do not really want this law. In other parts of the state, very rural there seems to be this big threat that they will lose their right to own guns. We're hearing it a lot. How many guns do people need to feel safe? And the biggest question is who are they waiting on to invade? I don't know what the answers are. I just wish people didn't want guns the way they do. Too much tragedy comes of them. Not everyone who owns one is a responsible hunter.
If the people who are buying all these guns feel safer, let them buy them. I agree with you Ruth, they are dangerous to the owners and owners family more often than to a criminal.