Who Am I?

Reason Online ^ | 11/01/02 | Reason Online

[correctthought]

I'm a .25 caliber pistol—a so-called Saturday Night Special—made by defunct gun maker Raven Arms. Although I'm an inanimate object, I've been found legally culpable in the 2000 classroom shooting of a West Palm Beach, Florida school teacher.

More specifically, a jury has just found gun distributor Valor 5 percent guilty in the tragic murder, which occurred when a 16-year-old student stole an unloaded version of me and some bullets from a family friend and then killed his teacher. The local school board and the family friend—though not the actual shooter—shouldered the rest of the blame. In the first trial in which a gun company has in any way been held responsible for a murder, Valor is supposed to pay $1.2 million to the victim's widow. The school board is supposed to pay $10.8 million and the family friend $12 million.

The plaintiff's lawyer was Bob Montgomery, best known for representing Florida in its $11.3 billion victory over tobacco companies. The case charged that I was "unsafe, defective and lacked features that would have prevented a minor from using it." Valor's attorneys countered that I wasn't a piece of "junk" and that I had legitimate uses, including self-defense, which is how most guns get used.

All the defendants are appealing the verdict which, given the way municipal cases against gun makers have fared, is likely to be overturned. As the legal battle in Florida moves into the next round, it's worth asking how far we really want to travel down the product-liability road when it comes to guns—and many other things.

[VERYProGun]

"When you grow up and become an adult caliber, let me know. "

Now THAT was funny...

VPG

[freedumb2003]

Wicca and Druidism I think

[Swordmaker]

The gun grabbers are anthropomorphizing an inanimate object by telling this in the first person as though the gun were speaking.

How about a similar tale "I am Brazzille's trigger finger"?

[Swordmaker]

What religion is it that believes that spirits live in various objects?

That would be the Animism that animates the Democrat party!

[correctthought]

The article was written with a sense of irony.

[freedumb2003]

Next up: Ropes, candlesticks, lead pipes, screwdrivers, bricks, rocks, piano wire, vehicles, chickens (remember Mama Cass?), paper clips (remember Silence of the Lambs?) and, in a 14th court of appeals victory, the Brroklyn Bridge for being erected so tall that someone jumping off would die.

[VERYProGun]

"The victim's just as dead as if it'd been a .454 Casull."

I fail to see what relevance this has to the price of tea in China or to this case. The victim is also just as dead as if they'd had their head caved in with a brick or gotten run over in the parking lot with the perp's car.

The point here is that the responsibility lies not with the manufacturer of the (admittedly POS) gun, not with the caliber of the gun used, or brand name, but solely with the bottom feeding little bastard that pulled the trigger.

VPG

[correctthought]

I had some shoe laces that became untied. I should sue, cause I coulda got hurt. :)

[Swordmaker]

Those tiny .25 Autos have a barrel that is just slightly longer than the bullet... with a loose blowback mechanism it is almost a surprise you can hit anything in front of the gun...

The Hatcher Relative Stopping Power rating of the .25 auto is about 3... which means it is hardly a "man-stopper."

[freedumb2003]

The victim's just as dead as if it'd been a .454 Casull."

I fail to see what relevance this has to the price of tea in China or to this case. The victim is also just as dead as if they'd had their head caved in with a brick or gotten run over in the parking lot with the perp's car.

The point here is that the responsibility lies not with the manufacturer of the (admittedly POS) gun, not with the caliber of the gun used, or brand name, but solely with the bottom feeding little bastard that pulled the trigger.

Actually, based on the post from Kenton, they had a better chance with the POS than with the Casull -- the mfg should be given an award for making a gun so bad that the target had at least a sporting chance.

[Search4Truth]

A post on a previous thread stated that the jury consisted of all women.

[Swordmaker]

The point here is that the responsibility lies not with the manufacturer of the (admittedly POS) gun, not with the caliber of the gun used, or brand name, but solely with the bottom feeding little bastard that pulled the trigger.

And NOT with the owner of the gun who was merely the victim of a crime and CERTAINLY NOT with the tax payers of the School District who failed to keep a student from carrying the stolen weapon to school.

[Swordmaker]

The article was written with a sense of irony.

Sort of gives a new meaning to the old west phrase "Fill your hand with Irony, you scalawag!"

Somehow, though, I can't quite picture Rooster Cogburn saying that with a straight face...

[Nam Vet]

Don't laugh. When I was a kid, a guy would drive thru the neighborhood about every other month sharpening kitchen knives,scissors, lawnmower blades etc. Everyone would set aside items needing sharpening for his next trip.

One day he informed his routes that this service trip would be his last. Reason? He was successfully sued for making a knife TOO SHARP! Only a couple hundred bucks as I recall, but as he was retired and did this for extra bucks only, he stopped it all. People bitched about not having his services for years after.

Nam Vet

[correctthought]

:)

[\/\/ayne]

When imperialistic warmongering evil guns leap from the conveyer belts of capitalist bourgesie factories, bounce down the street, around the corner, careen into a facsist right-wing gun-nut sporting goods store, purchase ammunition, load themselves, bounce out of the store and down the street, leap in to the hands of innocent gangbangers; (who are usually merely attempting to pass out sweets to neighborhood children) and when these evil guns shoot themselves in spite of the heroic attempts of the horrified gangbangers to stop them, why, evil guns like these should be banned!

Forward thinking progressive guns of the State, however, should be allowed.

We must analyze the motivations of each gun and act accordingly!


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Example of a forward thinking progressive gun




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Example of a self-firing imperialistic warmongering evil gun




o o
\___/

[Squawk 8888]

I find it amazing that twelve individuals (jurors), collectively, don't have what amounts to one brain.

Go to any committee meeting, anywhere, and you'll understand. In Canada, the defendant in most criminal cases has the option of a jury trial or trial by judge alone. The standard advice from lawyers is that if the facts are against you, go with a jury trial, but if the evidence is in your favour go with a judge. Trust me, it is far easier to con a group of people than an individual. Remember that line from Men in Black- "A person is smart. People are dumb, ignorant and prejudiced."

I don't have a reference for it but I remember a famous experiment to study the "groupthink" phenomenon. Ten "subjects", actually nine participants and one subject, were asked to count the number of items shown on the wall. The nine fake "subjects" were instructed to give the wrong answer, and in nearly every case the actual subject ended up agreeing with the incorrect answer.

[m1911]

I think that was in response to the "grow up to a real caliber" statement, not a commentary on the case.

[pgyanke]

This jury didn't go far enough... I think the gun acted out of racial prejudice when it jumped into the innocent shooter's hand, encouraged him to go to school and shot the teacher in cold blood. Surely a GOOD lawyer (oxymoron) could have doubled the award by pointing out the fact that it was a hate-crime on the part of the evil gun.

/sarcasm off.

[albee]

"...I find it amazing that twelve individuals (jurors), collectively, don't have what amounts to one brain."

Hey, Luv...this is, after all, FLORIDA...and West Palm Beach at that!