Aside from easing “voting restrictions” (insert puke face); much of the speech from the White House recently has been about “Gun Safety.” When Kamala Harris says that she wants to ease “voting restrictions,” she really means that she wants everybody, even illegal aliens and the deceased, to be able to vote. She knows that illegal voting and illegal counting of votes is how she secured her current office, and hopes to win again in 2024, so this is a hot topic for her. Likewise, when Joe Biden speaks of “Gun Safety,” what he really means is that he doesn’t want anybody to have the right to own a gun. These two embarrassing “leaders” are messing with our constitution, in that they want non-citizens (and dead people) to be able to vote and they don’t want American citizens to have the right to protect themselves.
“Gun Safety”
Let’s talk about “Gun Safety.” Recent discussion would make one believe that injuries and deaths related to guns are common, and have increased over the recent year. These statistics are difficult to find, and many of the articles discussing this subject contain big, fancy graphics that are definitely skewed. For example, most of these sites lump together suicides, homicides, mass shootings and accidental gun deaths and injuries as if they are all the same.
For me, it comes down to the intention of the heart. When we look at the sinful human heart, we can know for certain: if a human wants to kill or harm themselves or another, they will find a way, with or without a gun. David killed Goliath with a slingshot (and the power of God). Cain killed Abel with a stone. Men will always find a way to sin if their heart leads to them to do so. We can’t point at guns and say that they are the evil thing, causing deaths and injuries. It is man’s heart.
Deaths of Unsuspecting/Innocent People is What Matters When We’re Looking at These Facts
When I can look at an injury or death, as tragic as it is (no matter how it occurred), I can reassure myself that it won’t happen to me or my family if we don’t do XYZ. For example, don’t veer past the ropes or railings on a mountainous hiking trail, and you won’t fall. Keep your guns locked and stored away safely, and your two year old won’t accidentally shoot himself (there have been situations like this, sadly!!). Wear your seatbelt, and you won’t be thrown from your car, no matter how bad an accident is. Put simply: play by the rules, and for the most part, you’ll stay safe. (Knowing that God has our lives in His hand and at any moment He can call us to Him by any way He chooses).
The deaths and injuries that bother me the most are these types:
- The family who went to the mall for the afternoon and lost some loved ones to a mass shooter.
- The student who went to school and died, simply trying to get an education.
- The little boy who was riding his bike down the street and got shot by someone who didn’t even know him.
These people weren’t doing anything wrong. Going to the mall, or to school (well–we should probably all be homeschooling, but more on that later!) or riding one’s bike down the street are not reasons to be killed. Most people don’t suspect that taking a trip to the mall will potentially end their life. These are the worst possible scenarios. These are the situations that I want to stop. (Hold on, I know I’m sounding like a liberal–keep reading!) 🙂
Most People Won’t Be Shot By a Random Stranger
The good news is, these situations are rare–even now, in 2021. The chances of riding your bike down the street and being shot are extremely rare, as most homicide situations involve non-strangers (people you know). Source, source So, unless you live in a neighborhood with a terribly high crime rate or you’re friends with the Clintons, there is a low chance that a random stranger will kill you (or “suicide” you in the case of the Clintons’ minions).
Mass shootings are also rare. Biden and the media would have us believe that these random and mass shootings happen on a regular basis, perhaps daily. This is all fear mongering and not based on any facts or data. What has increased is the definition of a “mass shooting.” Take, for example, this list of “mass shootings” that happened in 2021 on Wikipedia. None of these incidents involved random strangers opening fire on a school or a mall (praise God they didn’t). Many were in homes or apartments. The word “nightclub” was used more times than I could count. “Hookah bar” was mentioned several times. “Party” was a word I saw repeated. In almost every situation, the victim knew the shooter somehow. The moral of the story, to me is: avoid unsavory places and untrustworthy people, and you are unlikely to be a victim of a shooting.
And again, I have to point out: the gun is a thing and the heart is what causes a person to kill or injure another. There are plenty of injuries and even deaths in prisons, where guns are not allowed.
Google Search: What Happens More, Actual Gun Violence or TALK of Gun Violence?
I did a random Google search today. Yes, I used Google, not Duck, Duck, Go. I wanted to see what the average person sees in the news. I searched the word “Gun” in News with some random date ranges: today, 6/1-6/5/2021, 3/15-3/18/2021 and 12/24-12/21/2020. I looked at the articles on the first three pages of each of these searches. This is what I found:
- There were 70 articles talking about gun violence and gun violence injuries
- There were 0 mass shootings
- There were 5 instances where someone used a gun to threaten people
- There were 5 accidental shootings
- There were 6 intentional shootings, three involved police officers and two were defense situations (so, ONE intentional shooting that was for bad reason)
- There was 1 BB gun incident
- 3 articles advertised guns in video games
- 1 article said that a person carrying a gun saved many people from harm
This, my friends, is called fear mongering. There were few actual gun-related incidents that killed or injured innocent people in any of the time periods I searched, yet the media (and the president) spoke of such violence at length.
A Bigger Killer That Nobody’s Talking About: Semi-Trucks
Recently, I have heard of several deaths or severe injuries that involved a tractor trailer, or semi-truck. Hear me out as I share about this, I realize:
- Trucks are necessary for our American, consumerist way of life. If semi-trucks weren’t on the road, I wouldn’t be able to go to Walmart whenever I want and find post-it-notes or pens or bandaids or a bicycle.
- Trucks also move food–without semi-trucks, most of us wouldn’t have bananas, oranges, vanilla, rice, or even oats.
- Trucking provides jobs for many people in our country.
- Not all truckers are bad drivers or will cause an accident.
There, I had to say all of that–before I dive in to this subject. Semi-trucks are on my mind because we have been forced off the road twice within the last two months by trucks that were being driven too fast and one swerved into our lane and another passed us when there was no lane for passing. Our heart rates went up, and we saw our lives flash before our eyes. Praise God, we’re still here, and I can write and tell you all about it!
But Wait–Certainly There are More Gun Deaths than Semi-Truck Deaths?
It depends how you look at the statistics.
In 2019, there were:
- 14,414 homicides (Again, mostly people who know each other. Angry people who would kill even if they had to use a stone to do it.)
- 23,941 suicides (Very sad, and again–when people are determined in their heart to sin like this, they will. They will find a way. The gun is not the responsible party, the person is.)
- 1,352 accidental gun shootings from mishandling of a firearm. These are the awful situations that I can’t stand to read about. 🙁
ALL deaths via guns or any other cause are sad. Please do not think that I am minimizing these deaths as I proceed. Consider this: at least 72 million people in this country own guns and there are guns in roughly 40% of American households. Source (I believe these numbers are low. First, they required people to admit that they had guns. Plus, in 2020 alone, 23 million guns were purchased in the U.S. I think more people own guns than readily share that they own guns). For the sake of math (and having a number to work with), let’s assume that 72 million is an accurate number.
So, out of 72 million gun owners,
- .02% chose to kill someone in 2019
- .03% chose to commit suicide
- .001% misused their weapon and had an accidental shooting
- In total, .05% of gun owners ever cause death or injury to themselves or others.
WOW. So 99.95% of gun owners use them safely and never hurt anyone..
Let’s compare these numbers to semi-truck deaths.
There are an estimated 3.5 million truck drivers in our country. Source
In 2019, 4,119 died because of semi-truck accidents. Source
SO, out of 3.5 million truck drivers:
- .1% caused death to themselves or others.
- Also, 11% of all vehicle accidents involved a semi-truck. Source
So, 99.9% of all semi-truck drivers have not been involved in fatal accidents.
I know, we’re looking at numbers like .05% and .1%, and it’s hard to tell what that means. If I am doing my math correctly, and I think I am, it boils down to this:
You are twice as likely to be killed by a semi-truck than you are to be killed or even injured by a gun.
Let’s look at another number:
If you are shot with a gun, you have a 50% chance of surviving. In contrast, very few people survive being hit by a semi-truck, and if they do, they are left with debilitating injuries. Source
Google Search: Do Headlines Confirm That Semis Kill People More Than Guns?
I performed a Google search for “semi-truck” in the News just like the “gun” search above. I used the exact same date ranges: : today, 6/1-6/5/2021, 3/15-3/18/2021 and 12/24-12/21/2020. I looked at the articles on the first three pages of each of these searches. This is what I found:
- There were 118 wrecks where people were injured or killed
- There were 41 major spills, fires, tipped over trucks or trucks hanging off of bridges
- There was 1 truck that was intentionally used as a weapon by a bad guy
- There were just 3 news articles mentioning semi-truck safety
- 1 article said that a trucker saved the day
SO, let’s look at these statistics a little closer.
In my random Google search about guns, 77% of the articles were about gun safety, 13% were about guns being used inappropriately, and 7% of the articles were about actual injuries or deaths.
In contrast, in my random Google search about semi-trucks, 2% of the articles were about semi-truck safety, 72% were about deaths or injuries (mostly deaths), and 25% were about other dangerous situations involving semi-trucks.
(In addition to trucks hitting other vehicles, sometimes they spill their contents all over the roadway, posing danger to others. I saw articles about a fuel spill, two milk truck spills and logs (think large, HEAVY logs) ending up in the roadway.)
What is the White House Saying?
Surely, if semi-truck deaths and injuries are such a big deal, the current administration must be talking about them, right? I wish I could say this was true.
The fact is that Biden has never addressed the issue of semi-trucks or tractor trailers causing two times as many deaths and injuries as guns.
May 12, press secretary Jen Psaki said that the Biden administration was going to allow fuel truckers to carry additional weight (Note that additional weight means that trucks will have a more difficult time stopping).
On Monday and Tuesday and into today, several states have issued emergency declarations that allow truckers to carry additional weight on state roads.
Now, the White House and DOT have determined that 10 states can use existing federal major disaster declarations that are currently in place to allow those states to issue permits that allow drivers to temporarily carry additional gasoline that would ordinarily exceed existing weight limits on federal highways in their state.
Source
On April 8, a reporter asked Jen Psaki a really good question about large truck safety:
The other question is: Before President Biden took office, he got a letter from advocates — safety advocates who lost loved ones in truck crashes. Truck crashes are up about 35 percent over the last 10 years. They asked him to support certain provisions — technology — to reduce crashes. Those technologies, including automatic braking systems, speed limiters, were recommended on Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Is that something the President supports and is going to have people in the agencies look at trying to impose some of those new safety restrictions?
Source
Like almost every question Jen is asked, she said she didn’t know and that she’d get back to this reporter. I searched through press briefings since April 8, and haven’t seen her address this topic ever again. I believe that using the phrase “I’ll get back to you” or something like it is really this administration’s method of leaving America uninformed about the issues that matter.
Is the White House Addressing Gun Safety?
I did a search for “Gun Violence” on WhiteHouse.gov and found the following:
- Biden spoke of gun violence 20 times, Harris 3 times
- Gun violence was addressed in press briefings with Jen Psaki 34 times
- There were 22 meetings or documents signed that addressed gun safety
Wow, so the current administration has addressed gun safety 76 times more than semi-truck safety, and semi-trucks kill twice as many people.
I’m doubting that this administration truly cares about our safety.
How to Avoid Being Shot vs How to Avoid Being Hit By a Semi
I mentioned above that to avoid being shot, there are a few things you can do:
- Avoid sketchy areas
- Avoid unsavory and untrustworthy people
- Stay out of night clubs and hookah bars
- Don’t pretend to hold a gun out the car window, or someone may shoot an actual gun at you
Do these things, and your chances of being shot and killed by a gun (those evil guns, you know!) are very, very low.
In contrast, to avoid being hit and killed by a semi-truck, this is what you have to do:
- Avoid rural areas and cities
- Avoid highways
- Don’t drive on the weekends
- Don’t drive on a Thursday
- In fact, don’t drive Monday through Friday, either
- Avoid driving in clear weather
- Avoid driving in bad weather
- Don’t drive between noon and 3 pm
- Wait, don’t drive between 6 am and 6 pm
- In fact, it’s probably best to only drive between midnight and 3 am
- Don’t pull in front of a large truck
- Don’t follow a truck too closely
- Watch for flying debris from a truck
- Stay away from truck drivers who are sleepy or who have been drinking or using substances (sadly, there is a high rate of substance abuse among truck drivers, as it is a hard way of life)
- Stay away from trucks with brake issues
- Make sure your vehicle has airbags
- Don’t drive a tiny little sports car or a squished up smart car
- Drive a bigger vehicle than them (start driving a semi, for safety from the semis, folks!)
Most people won’t be shot and killed by a gun, but almost everyone is at risk of being hit and killed by a semi-truck. While being killed by a semi-truck is rare, if it’s going to happen, there is little we can do to avoid it.
Money Matters, and Semis Bring in A LOT More than Guns
Maybe the government cares about dollars more than safety? Trucking is a 255 billion dollar industry, which is huge. That’s roughly 30% of the amount that the pharmaceutical industry brings in and 40% of the banking industry’s profits. Semi-trucks are a big industry, and big industries are important to big government.
Guns are a 65 billion dollar industry, which is only 9% of the banking industry and 7% of the pharmaceutical industry. Guns are not a tiny industry, but they bring in $190 billion less than the trucking industry every year. Source, source Perhaps nobody is talking about “Semi-Truck Safety” because it’s such a lucrative industry. In contrast, an industry that is 75% less profitable is less important to the government.
But the Government Cares About Our Safety, Right?!
Not really. Biden and his puppeteers keep mentioning “Gun Safety” and “Gun Violence” when the actual instances are incredibly low, compared to the amount of gun owners. They refuse to speak about semi-truck safety, even when asked about it, when trucks kill twice as many Americans as guns. (We know people are behind the guns and people are behind the wheel of the trucks, but for the sake of using their language, let’s say “trucks kill” and “guns kill.”). Biden doesn’t truly care about our lives. If he did, he’d get off the “Gun Safety” soapbox and start discussing a real threat: deaths caused by big trucks.
A Note to the Truckers and Truck-Loving Folks
As I mentioned above, I recognize that trucks are an important part of how we function as Americans, and that trucking provides jobs and income to many of you. I am not against you! I have read about multiple deaths from semi-truck accidents recently and simply wondered if there are more deaths from semis than guns–and began to research, and write. I believe that important conversations about truck safety (both for the drivers and others on the road) need to happen. The president of the United States should be at least mentioning this–and yes, looking into safer braking systems, to save American lives. If he did this, he’d save more lives than by regulating guns. That’s my point. Not to declare trucks or truckers as evil or as killers on the road. I don’t believe semi-truck drivers want to kill people any more than gun owners want to kill people. And by the way, to all the truckers, thank you for bringing post-it-notes and pens and bananas to our stores. I appreciate your work!