I want to thank you all for your time to read and respond to my posts. Let me be clear that I too am frustrated by the issues with alcohol and driving, as well as our new found penchant for texting while driving-thanks to the poster for bringing that point up in the discussion! I do want to ultimately put forth a corollary that I think needs to be considered when talking about DUI.
If we consider some of the issues with drinking and driving, some points I wish to make are:
1) Deaths and injury caused by people under the influence of alcohol, while
on a daily basis out number the recent loss of life at a Florida school, are not sensational enough to bring constant light to bear on the issues at hand.
2) Any motor vehicle is a potential weapon, yet children as young as 16 can obtain at least a permit to drive.
3) A person convicted of a motor vehicle offense involving alcohol has NO real checks or balances to actually prohibit them from being repeat offenders, putting innocent lives at risk every day.
4) Driving a vehicle is a
privilege, not a
right.
5) Consuming alcohol in any quantity is a
choice, not a
right
6) One only needs to be of legal age to purchase alcohol.
7) There are no background checks for the purchase of alcohol. Does the purchaser have a criminal history involving alcohol? Why are there no laws to prohibit a person convicted of an alcohol related crime from purchasing alcohol?
The above points aren't meant to be all inclusive or exclusive of others points that can be made (for example, there was no call on the auto industry when
a person ran down at least 8 people in New York last year)
Now for the corollary (and I am sure this is going to make me real popular):
The purchase of firearms:
1) Requires a background check. Felons are prohibited from gun purchase.
2) People with mental health issues would fail a proper background check (multiple legal systems failed in the recent school shooting)
3) Contrary to inaccurate reporting by the media, assault weapons have not been legal to own since the 1930's. Unfortunately people seem to believe that the letters "AR" as in "AR-15" stand for "Assault Rifle". Actually AR" stands for "Armalite Rifle". Armalite was the name of a company that designed an innovative look rifle in the 1950's.
4) Due to sensationalism, there is an effort to impact second amendment
rights, however there seems to be a reluctance to impact privileges (a driver's license) or choice (consuming alcohol where you qualify as under the influence).
5) A car is as much a weapon as a gun. It is the user whose actions determine how that object is used, yet the one that is the easiest weapon to obtain is also the one regulated the least: the car.
The bottom line of my post is that not only is the school shooting a tragedy, but so is the
DAILY senseless, but sensational-less loss of life through alcohol that occurs on a daily basis.
So I ask the media, the pundits, as well as anyone who is stepping up to the line with protests and calls for controls that involve second amendment rights,
where is the uproar for those victims killed senselessly ON A DAILY BASIS where it regards privileges and choices?