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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: bike path news
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2025 22:29:04 -0400
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On 3/11/2025 10:36 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> On 3/11/2025 9:20 AM, Zen Cycle wrote:
>> On 3/11/2025 8:57 AM, AMuzi wrote:
>>> On 3/10/2025 10:09 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>>> On 3/10/2025 9:37 PM, John B. wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Well... you exhibit a fear of firearms ...
>>>>
>>>> Bullshit. I exhibit distaste for the American fetish for firearms, 
>>>> and the effect it has on society. And I exhibit scorn for paranoia 
>>>> so severe as to cause a person to _require_ a firearm to do ordinary 
>>>> things like ride a quiet bike path, drive a car, fill a gas tank, etc.
>>>>
>>>> I'm sympathetic to those controlled by some phobias. Not this one.
>>>>
>>>> And BTW, it's not just our super-timid tricyclist. One classmate of 
>>>> mine in an adult education class brought his handgun to a class 
>>>> picnic in the country. Nice guy, but that was crazy paranoia. 
>>>> Another guy, less admirable in general, bragged to me about carrying 
>>>> his handgun into a folk music concert we attended. Absolute 
>>>> stupidity, and crazy paranoia.
>>>>
>>>> That latter guy played guitar, but was so obese that he used a 
>>>> special stand to hold his guitar out away from his belly. Maybe his 
>>>> physical shortcomings triggered feelings of great vulnerability, as 
>>>> with Mr. Tricycle? Nonetheless, his risk assessment was off the 
>>>> charts crazy - as is Mr. Tricycle's.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Replace 'firearm' in the above with 'bicycle helmet'.
>>> Same argument.

Not quite, Andrew. While it's true that both the helmet mania and the 
"handgun for protection" mania have been driven largely by marketing, 
helmets have not killed any innocent bystanders.

>>> And regarding risk assessment, I'm reasonable certain that this 
>>> shopping  mall in Greenwood Indiana never experienced a deranged 
>>> madman shooting into a crown before, and most probably never will again.
>>>
>>> However, on one fine July day, it happened.
>>>
>>> https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/07/hero-armed- citizen- 
>>> landed-8- of-10-shots-at-40-yards-to-stop-mass- shooting-in-15-seconds/

:-) Our anecdote master has found another one! But that tremendously 
rare "good guy with a gun" tale is buried under thousands of "jerk with 
a gun" tales of deliberate or incompetent shootings. Or incidents like 
Zen's example:


>> https://people.com/calif-toddler-accidentally-shoots-and- kills- 
>> mother-with-unsecured-gun-police-8759431
>>
> 
> Much agreed.
> 
> In the same way that red light running cyclists or the meandering idiots 
> in and out of a lane or the wrong-way cyclists all drive me nuts, I very 
> much agree that firearm ineptitude/fecklessness/reckless disregard is a 
> real problem.
> 
> Which is a matter of practical implementation not of principle itself.

Right. Try enacting a law calling for serious training and 
re-certification of gun owners. See what the NRA and GOA say about that. 
"Hell no, we have a constitutional right to be incompetent!"



-- 
- Frank Krygowski