There is nothing causally dangerous about carrying a gun while being intoxicated. There is some level of correlation between shootings and alcohol/drugs, just as there is some correlation between the use of alcohol/drugs and committing crime in general. Are you suggesting some law against packing heat while drunk would be proper? Or are you simply addressing the moral aspect?
Well, we have laws that penalize and criminalize driving drunk. So, in that context, maybe we should laws preventing packing heat and being drunk? Drinking and carrying?
I think it does violate people’s rights in the same respect putting a nuclear warhead on your front lawn does. It puts everyone into a state of insecurity because the chances of someone having an accident while being drunk and carrying a gun seem like they would be higher. That’s what I think at least. I don’t have any statistics to back that up, other then point to the obvious – that alcohol impairs judgment.
And I don’t think you should have a weapon unless you are able to properly judge when it’s appropriate to use it.
That’s where the moral aspect comes in to play. I think, at least in this case, the guy put everyone in danger. I’m not 100% sure about making it illegal, but I am 100% sure about condemning him morally.
Do you know any professional athletes or are you just speaking of the ones you see on the news?
I know the ones in college where they are close to me. Most of them are horrible people too. But for the post above I was talking about the ones we see on the news. They have everything you can imagine, yet they they always seem to throw it away over the dumbest things. Things they either know are wrong to do or things that only someone who isn’t thinking rationally at all would do. I just saw on the news the other day that there was a large group (about 6 or 7 I think, 3 from the Saints) that were found doing steroids. And I’m pretty sure that the coaches and owners of the teams and leagues tell people doing steroids is wrong/illegal. Yet they do it anyways. Why?
The valid and relevent question here is – is there something that makes professional athletes more susceptible to bad behavior?
I’d argue that there is.
The news isn’t going to report on the hundreds of thousands of professional athletes that are good, productive human beings, you know. That doesn’t get ratings.
Okay then… what is ESPN for? They talk about good, “productive” athletes all day and night. It doesn’t affect their ratings negatively.
Having worked in the sports disability industry for a few years, I can honestly say that many professional athletes are intelligent, honest and hard-working individuals with lovely families. I can also tell you that there are some real bad apples with awful families. To lump them all into one category and call them big idiots is just ignorant.
I figured you would know what I’m talking about since you’d said similar things before about the number of athletes that behave irrationally compared to the rest of the population.
To lump them all into one category and call them big idiots is just ignorant.
Does putting the word “ignorant” in a reply to me make you feel better? :worry:
I understand the point your making here. That this doesn’t represent all the athletes. Just like a bad police officer doesn’t represent all the police. I really hate these kinds of statements because they require you to drop the context when making evaluations. For instance, a lot of crimes are committed by black people, and the number of black people in prison is proportionally higher. Yes, that doesn’t mean all black people commit crimes, but it doesn’t mean it’s not open to questioning why this is the case. Because there are black people who commit crimes, and some who don’t, should we not ask why the ones who commit crimes commit them in such high numbers?
So is there something that makes athletes more susceptible to certain irrational behaviors? Again, I’d argue that there is. I’d also argue its more of certain sports then athletes in general.
Furthermore, I was unable to find where anyone suggested that getting drunk while possessing a firearm was a good idea or responsible. Of course people shouldn’t be doing that. Hence…
*sigh*
Okay, do you really want to take me on this merry-go-round? It seems like I’ve ridden it a million times. Furthermore, I was unable to find where I was suggesting anyone suggested that getting drunk while possessing a firearm was a good idea or responsible.
I suggest you familiarize yourself with the concept of a rhetorical question.
