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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 20, 2023

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The primary danger from cars and from guns are very different. They are involved in a ballpark similar number of total deaths, but gun-related deaths are around 2/3 suicides, 1/3 homicides, negligible unintentional, while the vast majority of auto fatalities are unintentional. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to compare them directly--how do you know if regulations on cars are "stricter" than those on guns? They're aimed at different things (or at least, they should be--restrictions targeted at homicide probably far outweigh those targeted at suicide). For example, there's a laundry list of individuals who can't legally buy firearms, including anyone ever convicted of a felony or a domestic violence crime, anyone under a restraining order, and others (full list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Instant_Criminal_Background_Check_System#Prohibited_persons). As far as I know, the only similar restriction for driving is if you drive drunk--and I believe this is conditional/state dependent, rather than being a universal and federal law. The former is also probably somewhat easier to enforce. Driver's licenses are fully reciprocal within US states and even from many foreign countries, but attempting to travel with a firearm across state lines, let alone international ones, is potentially nightmarish. Transferring a firearm or any of a long list of accessories to another person can require a months-long wait and expensive fee, etc.

Of course, cars also have their own restrictions. Every state requires passing written and road tests for a DL; the requirement to buy a gun is usually pretty light aside from age and the specific restrictions mentioned above. Even the requirements to carry concealed, which are more stringent, are only more difficult than a DL in a few states, and even that may change if Bruen is actually enforced. I suspect most gun-control advocates don't actually know almost any of the regulations on guns, gun ownership, and carrying.

And these differences aren't necessarily inconsistent: Using a car safely is far more difficult than using a gun safely. There are more rules, the machine is vastly more complicated, it usually is used in a much less controlled environment, it takes a lot of practice and constant awareness, etc.