And one might say that the enterovirus results in an acceptable casualty rate as well, depending on what one is valuing. The only reason why the rightwingers are all over this enterovirus thing is that it gives them yet another excuse for ranting about Democrats. Guns, on the other hand, are the province of the NRA and, hence, rightwingers, a verboten subject.
It makes a big difference, and here's why: Your desire to ban guns would not affect the vast majority of these deaths/injuries, because the firearm used is obtained illegally, and no ban you put in place will capture that. Don't you comprehend that? Chicago had a firearm ban in place for how long? And it was still the murder capital of the United States! So while it's certainly "noble" of you to want to protect children, neither you nor any other gun control advocate has a way of making that happen. So until you do, you really need to stop wailing over the problem, and try to develop a solution.
One of the most irrational ideas ever posted on this site. Statistics clearly indicate the US has far more deaths due to gun fire then most ( all ? ) first world countries. Private gun ownership has created MORE deaths. This isn't even debatable the statistics are very clear. Wallowing in ignorance isn't going to improve the situation.
Expressing an uneducated opinion doesn't change the reality of the situation. Our system is a better system. Every citizen will receive care regardless of income. Tax payers with enough income pay a small supplement on their taxes each year ( between $200-$1000 per family ). I would NEVER go to the US for medical care. There is zero point to do so. I have never met a Canadian directly who has. There are some fairly wealthy people who try to jump the queue by going to the US, but that just illustrates the weaknesses of an inequitable system. Think about it, your system allows rich Canadians to get care ahead of Americans if they are willing to pay. Wouldn't it be great if some of you understand that your country has some strengths and weaknesses, and lately the weaknesses are snowballing into some serious crisis that could ruin it for everyone ? Why not try to maintain your strengths and learn from other countries that are excelling in certain areas ? All this political bs isn't achieving anything, all it does is create a nice smokescreen for the rich conglomerates to extract money from the shrinking middle class. But hey, it's a free country, if you want to believe the big lie that your medical system is great and the envy of the world, well, I guess you'll just have to live with the ever increasing insurance bills and the occasional virus outbreak when a hospital fails to properly admit a sick patient. Plenty of Canadians are already trying to contain the disease and we have one of the best virus research facilities in the world in Winnipeg. In fact, that center may have an important role in solving this crisis. The US and others could have better helped contain Ebola in Africa months ago. The virus doesn't care what nationality you are, the colour of your skin, your income, or what political party you favor. It's a problem you deal with devoid of politics.
The problem with your analogy is guns are the province of the Constitution. Unless we change the Constitution via a convention, the Constitution is non-negotiable. There is no body of legislation (major or minor) that prohibit the US from restricting travel from Ebola stricken countries. Foreigners do not have a right to enter the United States. Further, citizens have a right to return, but by law, can be quarantined by the Government if suspected of infection. Now since the laws are on the books to prevent the spread of infectious disease at home, and there are no laws which prevent us from restricting entry from persons originating in infected countries, wouldn't you agree we should use precaution and protect the country against transmission?
I disagree with much of that. My stepfather traveled from Toronto to Johns Hopkins and had a partial prostatectomy, because care was delivered faster, and the advanced procedure (which saved part of the prostate, thus allowing continued sexual function) was only available in the US. A friends father was just recently diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, a particularly aggressive cancer, after being bounced around from GP to GP, who handed him creams and antibiotics for SIX MONTHS while the tumor grew. Nobody wanted to order a biopsy because in Canada, defensive medicine isn't practiced. Trial and error medicine IS (diagnostic procedures are costly and the Governing bodies come down on GP's for ordering 'too many' costly tests). My good friend is a psychiatrist in Toronto, who moved from Chicago, specifically to practice here. The OHIP billing system makes it much more advantageous to overbook (and thus overcharge), then in the States, where insurance companies are more strict and challenge hours charged. My sister in law used to work for OHA (Ontario Hospital Association) and now is an executive at the Womens College Hospital and tells me appointments are charged at 15 mins of time, while patients usually get 5 minutes or less. That's why we're continually rushed out the door...so doctors can overbook = $$$$ What are we good at? Lots. Assuming a persons condition is detected early enough, AND THAT'S A BIG IF, treatment is good. Bypass surgery, all types of cancers etc. Good treatment. Horrible diagnostics. America errs on the side of over-testing, instead of under-testing. Defensive medicine. Much better then our system. Yes, it's more costly. And yes, there are pros and cons to each system. I'm completely behind a two-tier system. It's ridiculous we don't have a choice in Canada that would ease the burden on the socialized healthcare system. Edit: and I got the inside baseball about Ebola from my sister-inlaw. Apparently, it's not even being discussed. Pretty much off the radar. Emergency procedures are in place, on paper, but nobody knows how it'll work in a live environment.
If you ban ownership , people will obtain guns illegally , so stop wailing over the problem. If you seal the border , people will still come in illegally . . . so ?