R. Doug Wicker — Author

Deadly Avenger . . . Dodge Avenger, that is

Today I bring to you a special blog post because of some late breaking news.

In case you hadn’t noticed lately, I’ve sort of made it my mission in life to bring to you stories of people using vehicles to wound, maim, and even kill large numbers of innocent people.

Remember these?

When Will We Rein in these Deliverers of Death?

Hate to Say, “I Told You So,” But . . .

Why am I devoting time to this nonsense, you may ask?  To expose the hypocrisy of the gun control crowd and their selective outrage on public access to potentially lethal consumer goods — make that access to some goods, and not others . . . yet.

On the one hand you have outrage being expressed at public access to firearms in general, and handguns and so-called “assault rifles” (a contrived term without a legitimate definition) in particular.  On the other hand you have vehicles ranging from the lethal sedan to the awesomely devastating assault SUV.  No outrage there.  No calls to limit public access to these weapons even though they kill far more each year.   No public outcry or legislative hearings on people who use these rolling death machines to intentionally inflict death and destruction on a grand scale.

Yet it’s happened once again:  Hit-and-run driver purposely accelerates onto Venice Beach boardwalk.  This time the toll was eleven wounded — one critically and two seriously.  One other person was killed, a 32-year-old newlywed woman on honeymoon from her native Italy.  Her husband had the sad task of identifying her body.

In case you’re keeping tabs on such things, that’s at least the second time this year.  That previous terrorist attack used an assault Cadillac and resulted in up to sixty casualties.

You’ll note that these two mass attacks occurred less than three months apart using a device that in recent years is responsible for over 32,000 deaths (and untold wounded and maimed) annually.

Don’t think gun control affects you because you don’t own one?  Think it’s a good idea because they scare you?  Then pay attention to what this debate is really all about.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating (and I’m sure I’ll repeat it again after the next act of vehicular terrorism or mass death):

You may not own a firearm.  You may have no desire to do so.  You may even fear and loathe them.  But remember this:  Whenever an elected official tells you — a law abiding citizen with a clean record of responsibility — that you cannot be trusted with something and that they’re limiting your access for your own good, don’t expect them to stop short at just those items with which you personally disagree or don’t own.  They won’t.  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proven that point quite conclusively (“Okay, scum — this is the NYPD.  Slowly put down that Big Gulp and very carefully back away.  Let us see your hands at all times, dirt bag.”)

These same arguments can also can be applied to your access to the lowly motorized vehicle.