Smart Move: 21 year old leaves the USA

[snaark]

If only those children had more guns, they would’ve been able to defend themselves against all the guns.

[ROB]

Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020. Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-18) in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database.

The idea that little kids are getting mowed down in statistically significant numbers is bullshit. But that's your prime currency these days Rob. If you weren't such a halfwit, you might actually read into the statistics and the study instead of parroting propaganda that fits your worldview like the good little NPC you are.

They get that leading cause of death by re-classifying 18 & 19 year old adults as "children".

Deaths from firearms 14 and under are statistically insignificant.

Deaths from firearms 15 and over are easily predicted by involvement in criminal gang activity. Not involved in gang activity = very low change of dying from a firearm.

In 2020 and 2021, firearms contributed to the deaths of more children ages 1-17 years in the U.S. than any other type of injury or illness. The child firearm mortality rate has doubled in the U.S. from a recent low of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2013 to 3.7 in 2021.

[ROB]

If only those children had more guns, they would’ve been able to defend themselves against all the guns.

WHy dO y0u hAtE Fr33d0m?

[Kurt]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/29/health/u ... index.html

Plus we have the uniquely American phenomenon of buying more guns after a mass shooting.
The Law of Increasing Returns is a simple theory but its complicated to unravel (What you have, you get more of. So you have guns, you get more guns etc).

I think a big problem with all of us, not just Americans, is we love things and institutions that harm us.

Sports stadiums paid for by Governments so people can pay $20 for a shitty beer while watching actions that will turn young people into mushheads before they are 50. Just dumb, but we love it. When The Packers make the playoffs my sports hating ass is glued to the TV.

When Clinton banned Assault Weapons I opposed it cuz I like guns and I believe that once the right to defend ourselves is removed we actually will have no rights.
But History does not work like that and when guns move to a leading cause of death for kids then it makes sense to reduce the amount of guns accessable or ammo.

So ina way I was part of the problem. I believed in the myth we have about ourselves.
When a young person wants to leave to go to a place with less guns because it was the number 1 killer of their age group, I get it. Leave.

[Tarkan]

Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020. Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-18) in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database.

The idea that little kids are getting mowed down in statistically significant numbers is bullshit. But that's your prime currency these days Rob. If you weren't such a halfwit, you might actually read into the statistics and the study instead of parroting propaganda that fits your worldview like the good little NPC you are.

They get that leading cause of death by re-classifying 18 & 19 year old adults as "children".

Deaths from firearms 14 and under are statistically insignificant.

Deaths from firearms 15 and over are easily predicted by involvement in criminal gang activity. Not involved in gang activity = very low change of dying from a firearm.

In 2020 and 2021, firearms contributed to the deaths of more children ages 1-17 years in the U.S. than any other type of injury or illness. The child firearm mortality rate has doubled in the U.S. from a recent low of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2013 to 3.7 in 2021.

https://www.childstats.gov/americaschil ... /phy7b.asp

Ages 1-4, death from firearm rate 0.9 per 100k in 2021.
Ages 5-14, death from firearm rate 1.6 per 100k in 2021.

Rate includes suicides, homicides, and accidents.

Ages 1-4, it's like the 8th leading cause of death out of 10 categories.
Ages 5-14, it's the 3rd leading cause of death, behind MVAs and cancer, accounting for 11.1% of deaths.

I wonder what changes from ages 1-14 to 15-17?

[ROB]

I bet you feel proud trying to logic your way out of supporting easily preventable children's deaths.

You're the real hero here.

[el3so]

supporting easily preventable children's deaths.

If a sufficient part of the US political system feels like a number of deaths is a price they are willing to pay to keep their second amendment, why should they listen to some foreigner who disagrees?

It's their house, their rules and ultimately their dead/maimed children.

[el3so]

When a young person wants to leave to go to a place with less guns because it was the number 1 killer of their age group, I get it.

If they only leave at 21 they already beat the (small) odds. Might as well stay at that point and get a sick rifle of your own. To keep the government in check. Or hunt. Or plink at targets. Or for home security or whatever. But not to kill kids though.

Getting to spend your money on whatever dumb unnecessary shit you want is what being an adult in a democracy is all about IMO.

[Kurt]

supporting easily preventable children's deaths.

If a sufficient part of the US political system feels like a number of deaths is a price they are willing to pay to keep their second amendment, why should they listen to some foreigner who disagrees?

It's their house, their rules and ultimately their dead/maimed children.

True.

We practice human sacrifice and don't even realize it.

Every death serves a purpose. Either getting rid of the weak or cumbersome or it serves a more complex purpose. The more class stratified a society is the less they are likely to see deaths as serving a purpose. At the start of COVID we had the Lt. Gov of Texas claim that old people would be "willing to die for the economy" rather than save themselves with a lockdown. That was pretty blatent, it said "Die" and then gave the reason they had to die.

With guns (and private swimming pools) parents are blamed, statistics are dismissed private interests kick in and (guns, not pools) sales increase out of fear sales may later be limited by law.

With mass shootings our ritual is even weirder. We get people showing up to confront "Crisis actors", News never shows the sheer amount of gore that is created by a mass shooting, Gun sales pick up. The NRA and GOOA vow to defend guns, copy cat shootings happen and the place impacted the most starts posting memorials with teddy bears and candles and other shit no one in their right fucking mind would want to be honored with and the town then declares they are $TOWN_NAME Strong.

[ROB]

Remember when that communist pinko, Reagan tried to introduce a bit of common sense to gun legislation?

[gnaruki]

With guns (and private swimming pools) parents are blamed, statistics are dismissed private interests kick in and (guns, not pools) sales increase out of fear sales may later be limited by law.

Haven't checked the stats for deaths but anecdotally every pool owner I know has marginally higher homeowners rates... much less than I'd expect. I suppose it's usually one of their own drowning so no claim to make (same goes for guns, typically they're killing off their own offspring). IIRC when I got my umbrella policy they were only concerned about being a social media star and owning certain breeds of dogs, go figure. I remember when there was talk of diving boards being banned in Oregon sales boomed for a year or so. Which is a shame because the shallow pool is to be blamed not the springy fun plank.

[Kurt]

Another friend of mine's kid is moving to Ireland as soon as she graduates.

She is gonna do a gap-year 1/2 Oz style world walkabout (1 year only) then go to University of Dublin (I think...its gonna be IN Dublin proper). Anyway she is bailing for two reasons:
Guns.
Expensive Health Care.

What is funny is that there are the weird, American ninnies who think traveling a year will be "Dangerous". Anything can be dangerous for an 18 year old girl on her own but pretty sure St. Paul Minnesota is more dangerous than any city in Europe. They actually think her parents are sending her to Rape-Land (biggest danger is crossing the street upon arrival)

She has never been shot at. Never had a mass shooter in any of her schools but she wants to live without having to worry about a mass shooter everywhere.

[gnaruki]

I can't think of a better choice for a fresh adult. If I could redo late adolescence I'd choose to do something similar.

An 18 year old wondering America is much more dangerous than most of Europe.

[Kurt]

I can't think of a better choice for a fresh adult. If I could redo late adolescence I'd choose to do something similar.

An 18 year old wondering America is much more dangerous than most of Europe.

Me too. College years in Dublin? Gimme time-travel please. I went there when I was a Junior in College and I knew then and there that all my life choices I had up to choosing to go to Ireland while still in school had been wrong.

[Alphabet]

Daughter graduated last year after 5 years of chasing her B.Arch. Spent the last 2 summers interning with the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz in Bonn. They offered her a job and she took it. She is disappointed she can't take her SIG with her though.

She's tires on fire to get there, and leaves in 2 months. I'm jealous as fuck.

Son has 1 year left in HS and is hell bent on Ireland. I love the little fucker more than my own life, but he doesn't have the drive his sister does. He'll probably end up a bartender there. Which, now that I think about it..he'll probably make more money than his sister.