[extropy-chat] Guns

[Don Dartfield]

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003, Mike Lorrey wrote:

> Firstly, most states limit the ability of teenagers to obtain and/or use
> firearms without supervision.

Perhaps.  However, in both Nevada and Utah, when I was 16, I was able to
purchase rifles and ammunition with no adult supervision.  This was during
the middle of the Clinton administration, too.  Handguns, though, were not
legally available to me until I was 18 or 21 -- I forget which.

> Secondly, studies have shown that teenagers who regularly use guns in
> family activities like hunting, competetive shooting, etc. exhibit far
> fewer psychological problems and far less criminal tendencies than the
> ritalin addled, video game and MTV benumbed, goal-less couch potatoes
> one typically finds in a non-gun owning household.

I'd like to see a cite for any part of this.

> Your stereotype is a myth, and a rather offensive one at that,

And yours isn't?

My initial impression of you was as a pretty informed guy, Mike, but
you're losing more and more credibility with every post.  Stating that
gun-less households usually have Ritalin-using goalless children is just
bizarre hyperbole.  You sure aren't going to convince non-libertarians
with this kind of thing.