Realistically what is the difference?

Whether it's a congressman from Missouri who says there cannot be a pregnancy in cases of "real rape" or simply one of his constituents who never showed up to biology class demanding all birth control pills be banned because they only work by aborting babies, most people generally agree they are idiots who contribute nothing meaningful to the debate.

If it's a congressman from California who thinks a pistol grip magically makes a gun more lethal, or one of his constituents who can't tell a hunting rifle from a machine gun writing angry letters demanding things that are already illegal need to be made illegal, why should their opinions be considered?

We don't take people who say stupid things about biology and reproduction seriously when they "contribute" to the abortion and birth control debates. Why should anyone take people who say stupid things about guns seriously in gun debates?

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Asked by NotPanicking at 2:58 PM on Jan. 17, 2013 in Politics & Current Events

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i think most of us are pretty well educated about rape, birth control, etc, being women & mothers. though there are those delightful few that still haven't seen the light.

i dont think the same can be said about the gun topic. a lot of people are just going by hearsay and sensationalist movies instead of any actual research.

Answer by tnm786 at 3:06 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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I have no idea why their opinion is considered when they don't know what they are talking about. I will be the first to admit that I don't know the different classifications of weaponry, so I try to educate myself before applying my opinion to our constitutional rights to see if they line up. I have seen several instances (here and in news reports regarding gun law) where the terms assault, automatic, semiautomatic, assault rifle, and assault weapon are used interchangeably. All it does is confuse me even more as to what they are trying to say.

Answer by QuinnMae at 3:13 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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I agree with tnm
I have learned quite a bit about guns with this debate going on, things that I really had no idea about. I'm not uneducated, but I didn't grow up around guns, so I don't have the knowledge base that I need to really form an opinion. And, unfortunately, I was using what I've heard from OTHER uninformed people in the media to form opinions. Thankfully I was (politely!) corrected recently on a few points, and my whole stance has shifted.
And I think my situation is probably pretty common.

Answer by Nicoles2LilRams at 3:15 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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They are just fanning the flames with needless hysteria. I saw let them show their ignorance. Every time this becomes a nation debate (4 times since the 60's) gun sales go through the roof.

Answer by HHx5 at 3:43 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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I saw let them show their ignorance.

The problem is that ignorance spreads. How many news articles were there about CT that misidentified the weapons involved? There were people around here screaming, based on what they saw or read, that he was running around with a fully automatic military weapon. I would not encourage that kind of stupidity, any more than I would encourage people to let girls believe they can't get get pregnant on their period or that douching with coca cola will prevent it after.

Comment by NotPanicking (original poster) at 4:09 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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I like how up in arms they are over their guns, which they choose to have,but want to take the choice of women to have an abortion even in the worst of circumstances.

They are both choice and both legal.

I want to go back to sleep. I have a long day tomorrow.

Answer by Izsarejman at 4:47 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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"I like how up in arms they are over their guns, which they choose to have,but want to take the choice of women to have an abortion even in the worst of circumstances. "

The same can be said about people who are all about choice when it comes to woman's reproductive rights, but they want to take the right to own a gun away from responsible gun owners. What it boils down to is that these important issues are being decided by ignorant government officials who listen to their equally or even more ignorant constituents.

Answer by anime_mom619 at 6:03 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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Becuse they are saying what other ignorant people want to hear?

Answer by Dardenella at 7:35 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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I like how up in arms they are over their guns, which they choose to have,but want to take the choice of women to have an abortion even in the worst of circumstances.

And they are all up in arms afraid people are going to take away their right to have an abortion..........yet overturning Roe V Wade is next to impossible...passing new gun laws is a walk in the park by comparison.

I wish we could just ban idiots....at the very least make them educated themselves beyond the extreme sides talking points before they can vote.

Answer by yourspecialkid at 8:32 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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Ugh, my response was full of errors.

I think you might be overestimating the naïvety of people. Sure, we need to hold elected officials accountable according to rhe Constitution as well as the media who are supposed to report the truth. How long did it take to sort through all the erroneous information about the tragedy in CT?

As far as not spreading stupidity, all we can do is fight that with education and a spirit of community. Maybe I'm the one who is naive but most ppl aren't that stupid. Is it really stupidity if one hasn't been taught to think independently? I don't know, it does seem like ppl panic rather than think rationally. Bias and lack of education can be treated, ppl aren't hopeless.

Answer by HHx5 at 9:40 PM on Jan. 17, 2013
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