The following has been forwarded, and I cannot accept credit for it.
Reposted with Copyright notice.
Copyright 2000 by Ron Miller.
All Rights Reserved.
IF GUNS WERE TREATED LIKE CARS :
1. You could get a simple license from the State for a nominal fee and only
have to take a test that any idiot could pass. You'd only have to renew it
every 10 years for 40 years and maybe retake the test if you move out of
state.
2. You could kill and injure people with your gun while drunk and still have
your lawyer get your gun back because you need it for work.
3. You'd have half the tax burden of the county and State dedicated to
improving the shooting ranges and facilities. The public agrees this is
never good enough to suit them and with all the gunowners from California
moving in, the range capacity will never catch up. Lines at the range are
always shown on TV with the newsies deploring the crowding.
4. You could carry in any State at any time because carry and possession of
your gun is honored nationwide and is considered a basic American civil
right.
5. You would see commercials on TV pushing the newest, latest guns which you
could lease for just $25 per month subject to the fine print.
6. You could finance a fancier gun than you can really afford by taking a 5
year loan with approved credit.
7. You would have a gun safe built into every house. In the upscale houses
you would have 3 gun safes. Inexpensive houses and mobile homes would just
have a gunrack by the door.
8. You'd have gun storage lockers at the shopping mall in which to store
your rifle while shopping. This in order to free your arms for packages. The
convenience of the shopper is paramount.
9. You could buy ammunition at the 7-11. Full-service station means they'll
reload your magazines for you.
10 The news would stop reporting gun accidents unless more than 10 children
were killed at one time. Onesy-twosey would only be notable in small towns
or if Princess Di's bodyguard shot her while aiming at paparazzi.
11 If the price of ammunition rose 20% the Federal Government would release
war reserves of ammo to bring the price back down to the consumer's comfort
level.
Ammo would carry a 50% tax to finance public shooting ranges.
The Teapot Dome scandal would have been about a lead mine.
12 We'd teach gunsmithing in vocational-education programs.
13 Every 16 year old would be looking forward to the day when he could take
the family revolver to school. The rich kids would get a high capacity
semi-auto pistol on their 16th birthday and endanger everyone when they
learn to use it in public.
14 High schools would have large gun lockers to store student's arms while
they attend classes. Administrators would try to charge for the service to
discourage teen-age gun carrying to school.
15 Schools would have shooter's education classes to make sure the kids
could pass the test. They would show gory films of gunshot wounds. The
squeamish would throw up.
16 Old people who can hardly see would still be permitted to shoot in public
because to disarm them would be to damage their self-esteem. Families would
wring their hands over holes in the walls and ceiling.
Occasionally an oldster would fire into a schoolyard when they mistake the
trigger for the safety. Legislators would refrain from criticizing because
of the AARP's influence.
17 Congress would be debating alternative weapons systems for people who
can't afford their own guns.
18 There would be such a thing as "public weapons" for the masses.
19 Congress would be subsidizing weapons for people too limited in means to
afford their own.
20 Congress would be willing to float a loan to Colt's in order to ensure
the survival of an American company against unfair foreign competition.
(Think "Chrysler")
21 We, except for Ralph Nader, would dismiss 40,000 deaths and 500,000
injuries per year as "the price of freedom."
22 You would have MADS. Mothers Against Drunk Shooters (instead of HCI).
MADS would conduct a campaign of public education instead of trying to use
the force of government to prohibit irresponsible drinking and shooting.
23 You could rent a gun at any airport if you are over 25 and have a credit
card.
24 You would have the fringe-greenies advocating bows and arrows because
they think gunsmoke is damaging the environment.
Al Gore would write a book about the damaging effects of gunsmoke.
Al Gore would also claim to have been a handloader before his sister died in
a powder fire.
25 You'd have huge outcry in the Press and Congress over our dependence on
cheap, imported, foreign ammunition.
26 Ted Kennedy would have shot Mary Jo Kopekne instead. Ted would be a few
thousand dollars richer (bullet:$0.25 vs car:$3000)
Ted would stop carrying his own gun and instead, hire bodyguards to carry
fully-automatic weapons under their coats for him.
27 You'd have businesses like "Jiffy Gun-Clean" to make life convenient. But
you'd always worry that they might not have gotten the magazine fully seated
afterwards.
28 You'd have "Classic Gun Events" with parades on public roads as everyone
with such a classic carries it for all the public to see.
29 You'd have huge eyesores where piles of guns are left to rust in the open
at "Gun Junk Yards". They would charge you outrageous prices to go out back
and pick off a hammer or sear which is probably also worn out like the one
you want to replace.
30 There would be a booming business and debate about substituting non-OEM
parts in the gun repair business.
31 You'd have TV news crews going under cover with hidden cameras to ferret
out "unscrupulous gun smiths." This story would be "old reliable" and works
every year.
32 The Japanese would be trying, and succeeding, at taking over the market
for efficient, reliable high-quality guns.
The Koreans would be trying to sneak in at the low end of the market.
The Germans would be selling premium brands based on better workmanship,
longer life, and brand cachet. But their guns would require you to take it
to a gunsmith every 3 months for a complete tear-down and dimensional
inspection at outrageous labor rates.
The Italians would paint their guns flaming red and they would have a
reputation for being finicky.
The State Department would be applying pressure to get Japan to allow more
US-built guns into their country.
The Japanese would resist the US by saying that Japanese shooters have
extra-special safety requirements that only Japanese manufacturers can meet.
33 You'd have an entire section of the Saturday Coloradoan devoted to ads
for new and used guns.
34 You'd have a pair of fun-loving gunsmiths on Public Radio doing a show on
gun problems. They'd be named "Tap & Rack"
35 There would have been a terrible TV show back in the black & white days
named "My Mother - The Gun". It starred Jerry Van Dyke and ran just one
season.
36 Dean Jones would have made a series of stupid movies starring Herbie the
Love-Gun. Herbie was an adorable anthropomorphized cheap German Saturday
Night Special. Dean Jones would never show his face in public again after
these movies.
37 Competition would be carried on TV all day on Saturdays. The Daytona 500
would be round-count instead of miles. There would be speed contests,
endurance contests, and off-range marksmanship events.
NASGUN would create big heroes in the South and extravagant marketing
opportunities.
38 High-schools would paint up a gun in the colors of the opposition and
charge $.25 for you to swing a sledge hammer at that gun during pep rallys.
39 John Elway would own half the gunstores in the Denver Metro area.
40 Wellington Webb's wife would be carrying the finest English Double
shotgun money can buy while Wellington has body guards to carry his
semi-auto pistols for him.
41 Back in the 1970's during the ammo crisis, Congress would have set a
maximum cyclic rate for autos and semi autos in order to conserve ammo.
42 After Iraq was pushed out of Kuwait, the national cyclic rate was raised
to something all semi-autos can be comfortable with.
43 The Coloradoan would be publishing the locations of range repair work
every week to be sure no one would be inconvenienced.
44 The Beach Boys would have released some songs about guns:
"Spring little Cobray gettin' ready to strike..... Spring little Cobray with
all your might....."
"She's real fine my Wonder Nine, she's real fine my Won-der Nine."
"Fun, fun, fun 'til Daddy takes her Kel-Tec away......"
45 Letters to editors would be written decrying that all those Soccer Moms
are lugging .50 cal machine guns around town, wasting ammo and getting in
everybody's way.
46 Letters to editors would be written responding that putting one's
beginning driver son or daughter behind a .50 cal would mean that the
writer's offspring would survive any conflict with lesser armed individuals.
47 Al Gore would claim he invented the .50cal cartridge and say he was
sorry.
48 Cities would be experimenting with electric guns but would be surprised
to find that people would step in front of them at the range because they
were too quiet so no one knew the electric gun was there.
49 President Clinton would demand that electric gun manufacturers put a
cowbell on each one to prevent senseless accidents.
50 The National Rifle Association would be reduced to selling travel
insurance for your guns because the rest of society will have seen to it
that there would be no chance that firearms would ever be banned.
Reposted with Copyright notice.
Copyright 2000 by Ron Miller.
All Rights Reserved.
IF GUNS WERE TREATED LIKE CARS :
1. You could get a simple license from the State for a nominal fee and only
have to take a test that any idiot could pass. You'd only have to renew it
every 10 years for 40 years and maybe retake the test if you move out of
state.
2. You could kill and injure people with your gun while drunk and still have
your lawyer get your gun back because you need it for work.
3. You'd have half the tax burden of the county and State dedicated to
improving the shooting ranges and facilities. The public agrees this is
never good enough to suit them and with all the gunowners from California
moving in, the range capacity will never catch up. Lines at the range are
always shown on TV with the newsies deploring the crowding.
4. You could carry in any State at any time because carry and possession of
your gun is honored nationwide and is considered a basic American civil
right.
5. You would see commercials on TV pushing the newest, latest guns which you
could lease for just $25 per month subject to the fine print.
6. You could finance a fancier gun than you can really afford by taking a 5
year loan with approved credit.
7. You would have a gun safe built into every house. In the upscale houses
you would have 3 gun safes. Inexpensive houses and mobile homes would just
have a gunrack by the door.
8. You'd have gun storage lockers at the shopping mall in which to store
your rifle while shopping. This in order to free your arms for packages. The
convenience of the shopper is paramount.
9. You could buy ammunition at the 7-11. Full-service station means they'll
reload your magazines for you.
10 The news would stop reporting gun accidents unless more than 10 children
were killed at one time. Onesy-twosey would only be notable in small towns
or if Princess Di's bodyguard shot her while aiming at paparazzi.
11 If the price of ammunition rose 20% the Federal Government would release
war reserves of ammo to bring the price back down to the consumer's comfort
level.
Ammo would carry a 50% tax to finance public shooting ranges.
The Teapot Dome scandal would have been about a lead mine.
12 We'd teach gunsmithing in vocational-education programs.
13 Every 16 year old would be looking forward to the day when he could take
the family revolver to school. The rich kids would get a high capacity
semi-auto pistol on their 16th birthday and endanger everyone when they
learn to use it in public.
14 High schools would have large gun lockers to store student's arms while
they attend classes. Administrators would try to charge for the service to
discourage teen-age gun carrying to school.
15 Schools would have shooter's education classes to make sure the kids
could pass the test. They would show gory films of gunshot wounds. The
squeamish would throw up.
16 Old people who can hardly see would still be permitted to shoot in public
because to disarm them would be to damage their self-esteem. Families would
wring their hands over holes in the walls and ceiling.
Occasionally an oldster would fire into a schoolyard when they mistake the
trigger for the safety. Legislators would refrain from criticizing because
of the AARP's influence.
17 Congress would be debating alternative weapons systems for people who
can't afford their own guns.
18 There would be such a thing as "public weapons" for the masses.
19 Congress would be subsidizing weapons for people too limited in means to
afford their own.
20 Congress would be willing to float a loan to Colt's in order to ensure
the survival of an American company against unfair foreign competition.
(Think "Chrysler")
21 We, except for Ralph Nader, would dismiss 40,000 deaths and 500,000
injuries per year as "the price of freedom."
22 You would have MADS. Mothers Against Drunk Shooters (instead of HCI).
MADS would conduct a campaign of public education instead of trying to use
the force of government to prohibit irresponsible drinking and shooting.
23 You could rent a gun at any airport if you are over 25 and have a credit
card.
24 You would have the fringe-greenies advocating bows and arrows because
they think gunsmoke is damaging the environment.
Al Gore would write a book about the damaging effects of gunsmoke.
Al Gore would also claim to have been a handloader before his sister died in
a powder fire.
25 You'd have huge outcry in the Press and Congress over our dependence on
cheap, imported, foreign ammunition.
26 Ted Kennedy would have shot Mary Jo Kopekne instead. Ted would be a few
thousand dollars richer (bullet:$0.25 vs car:$3000)
Ted would stop carrying his own gun and instead, hire bodyguards to carry
fully-automatic weapons under their coats for him.
27 You'd have businesses like "Jiffy Gun-Clean" to make life convenient. But
you'd always worry that they might not have gotten the magazine fully seated
afterwards.
28 You'd have "Classic Gun Events" with parades on public roads as everyone
with such a classic carries it for all the public to see.
29 You'd have huge eyesores where piles of guns are left to rust in the open
at "Gun Junk Yards". They would charge you outrageous prices to go out back
and pick off a hammer or sear which is probably also worn out like the one
you want to replace.
30 There would be a booming business and debate about substituting non-OEM
parts in the gun repair business.
31 You'd have TV news crews going under cover with hidden cameras to ferret
out "unscrupulous gun smiths." This story would be "old reliable" and works
every year.
32 The Japanese would be trying, and succeeding, at taking over the market
for efficient, reliable high-quality guns.
The Koreans would be trying to sneak in at the low end of the market.
The Germans would be selling premium brands based on better workmanship,
longer life, and brand cachet. But their guns would require you to take it
to a gunsmith every 3 months for a complete tear-down and dimensional
inspection at outrageous labor rates.
The Italians would paint their guns flaming red and they would have a
reputation for being finicky.
The State Department would be applying pressure to get Japan to allow more
US-built guns into their country.
The Japanese would resist the US by saying that Japanese shooters have
extra-special safety requirements that only Japanese manufacturers can meet.
33 You'd have an entire section of the Saturday Coloradoan devoted to ads
for new and used guns.
34 You'd have a pair of fun-loving gunsmiths on Public Radio doing a show on
gun problems. They'd be named "Tap & Rack"
35 There would have been a terrible TV show back in the black & white days
named "My Mother - The Gun". It starred Jerry Van Dyke and ran just one
season.
36 Dean Jones would have made a series of stupid movies starring Herbie the
Love-Gun. Herbie was an adorable anthropomorphized cheap German Saturday
Night Special. Dean Jones would never show his face in public again after
these movies.
37 Competition would be carried on TV all day on Saturdays. The Daytona 500
would be round-count instead of miles. There would be speed contests,
endurance contests, and off-range marksmanship events.
NASGUN would create big heroes in the South and extravagant marketing
opportunities.
38 High-schools would paint up a gun in the colors of the opposition and
charge $.25 for you to swing a sledge hammer at that gun during pep rallys.
39 John Elway would own half the gunstores in the Denver Metro area.
40 Wellington Webb's wife would be carrying the finest English Double
shotgun money can buy while Wellington has body guards to carry his
semi-auto pistols for him.
41 Back in the 1970's during the ammo crisis, Congress would have set a
maximum cyclic rate for autos and semi autos in order to conserve ammo.
42 After Iraq was pushed out of Kuwait, the national cyclic rate was raised
to something all semi-autos can be comfortable with.
43 The Coloradoan would be publishing the locations of range repair work
every week to be sure no one would be inconvenienced.
44 The Beach Boys would have released some songs about guns:
"Spring little Cobray gettin' ready to strike..... Spring little Cobray with
all your might....."
"She's real fine my Wonder Nine, she's real fine my Won-der Nine."
"Fun, fun, fun 'til Daddy takes her Kel-Tec away......"
45 Letters to editors would be written decrying that all those Soccer Moms
are lugging .50 cal machine guns around town, wasting ammo and getting in
everybody's way.
46 Letters to editors would be written responding that putting one's
beginning driver son or daughter behind a .50 cal would mean that the
writer's offspring would survive any conflict with lesser armed individuals.
47 Al Gore would claim he invented the .50cal cartridge and say he was
sorry.
48 Cities would be experimenting with electric guns but would be surprised
to find that people would step in front of them at the range because they
were too quiet so no one knew the electric gun was there.
49 President Clinton would demand that electric gun manufacturers put a
cowbell on each one to prevent senseless accidents.
50 The National Rifle Association would be reduced to selling travel
insurance for your guns because the rest of society will have seen to it
that there would be no chance that firearms would ever be banned.