Elisberg Industries
Decent Quality Since 1847
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like

The Guns of Never Own

4/3/2018

0 Comments

 
The other day on Facebook, I had made a comment about March for Our Lives on a friend's feed.  In response to that, someone wrote the following to me --

Dennis Heinrich:
Robert Elisberg help me, a rational individual, understand how the most harshest gun control government... Illinois/Chicago... has one of the highest murder rates in our nation??? Does NOT compute!?? Your words are simply words not facts.??

I don't know this fellow, but though absent of vitriol (and syntax), it was clear that he wasn't actually asking for the "help" in understanding that he said he was.  But I nonetheless decided to reply.  Here's what I wrote -

                                                                              *  *  *

I'm happy to answer your question. I will not join here in a debate.

There are many responses. It's not a "single reason" issue. One is that as terrible as the problem is in Chicago, it would likely be even worse with less strict gun laws. Another is that the laws may not be as strict as you suggest or, because of conditions, as they need be. Further, the situation in Chicago may not be as much a "gun problem" as it is a gang problem and one that is far worse there than elsewhere, and so the resolution requires other solutions, as well, on top of the existing gun laws, Additionally, it may conceivably turn out that Chicago -- with a long history of violence going back to the days of Capone and the Haymarket Riots -- is just one of those sad exceptions in life and a situation out of control for economic, social, logistical, racial, political, historical, and more reasons, but that for most of the rest of the country the standards for gun control hold. Also, separate from laws is the issue of enforcement which is problematic. But In addition, and perhaps most of all --

Your question may not be valid. As bad as the gun situation is in Chicago, the population is also massively large, so the gun death rate is not nearly as bad as a great many other cities in the U.S., who *don't* have as strict gun laws. Indeed, Chicago is just 18th among U.S. cities.. Below Milwaukee. Chicago's rate is 16.4. On the other hand, New Orleans (which I'm guessing from your question does not have as strict gun laws) is #1 at 46.9.  Here's the article with that data.

As I said, I would answer your question. You may not agree, but that's my answer. I won't have a Facebook debate on the subject.

And those were my words.  Though they weren't the entire first draft.  There were many things left out -- including that guns are also brought into Chicago across the state line, like from the aforementioned Milwaukee with a higher death rate, and from Mike Pence's Indiana, or Missouri, where St. Louis not only has a higher death rate, but in fact it's #3 in the country, or from Kentucky, or Iowa.  Illinois has a long reach with many borders.  Another reason, as has often been mentioned, that so many people call for stricter federal gun laws.

I also had another paragraph which I thought was spot-on to the point, because it addressed something he himself said, though I knew it was blunt and personal -- since his own comments I was referencing were about himself -- and therefore risked being the only thing he would "see" and respond to, blurring out everything else.  And so, I left it out.  What I had written, and then deleted was:

"I'll add that I don't know you, nor you me, so while you may be an impressively rational individual as you say,  I have no idea how rational you are on the question of gun control.  You might be spectacularly rational with that, as well, but I'm just noting that I've seen deeply-rational people get into irrational screaming matches over guns and abortion."

Of course, the reality is that I don't even know if he's rational in the slightest.  After all, the answers I gave were pretty reasonable and basic, whether or not he accepted them.  And the fact that he hadn't even considered them as remotely possible to the extent that any explanation "does NOT compute" for him makes me uncertain of his self-proclaimed rationality quotient.  Then again, maybe he was just too lazy to consider possibilities.  Or too close-minded to consider any explanations.  But as I said, it doesn't matter if the was as rational as history's most beatific and centered Sensei Master.  The mere mention of gun control could send him over the edge.  Which, though that might not have been the case here, at least is possible.

I wanted to say that, too.  But didn't.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.



    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2021
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs