As for the broader theme of this thread. Ok… Sure… It is useful to look (occasionally, not obsessively) at negative events and help use them to consider potential vulnerabilities when managing risk in one’s life. As many people wisely noted in another thread here about pocket guns, there are potential negative consequences to whatever path you choose in life. That pocket gun in condition three may cost you dearly if the boogeyman jumps on you from behind a tree as you’re jogging through a darkly lit park some evening. That pocket gun in condition three in your cargo shorts also simply cannot discharge when you’re helping coach your kids’ football or wrestling team and getting into some more physical tackling drills or contortions. As SFG said, different risk management strokes for different folks. And smart people will also consider that different risk factors will wax and wane as their life changes. The athletic 28 year old coach may consider and mitigate his risks differently later in life when he is 85 and arthritic.
But having said that, it’s also important not to let negative stories dictate your thoughts on public policy or overly skew your perception of risk. I followed one of the links and on the side of the page it had more “Trending Stories”. Any guess which kind of stories were trending?
Live! Police Car Slams Into Dunkin' Donuts
Video: Group Ambushes Football Team, Attacks Player
Video: NJ High School Teacher Had Sex With 3 Students
Video: 3 Hurt in 4-Alarm Warehouse Fire, Neighbors Evacuated
None of which necessarily means squat with regard to public policy or risk mitigation. It might, but these also might be statistical anomalies. Statistical anomalies are what the media reports on, after all. The media aren’t going to do any stories about police cars that didn’t crash into Dunkin’ Donuts today, and they aren’t going to do any stories about the guy who CCW’ed today and didn’t have a gun “fall out of this pocket and go off”.
This is similar to reading about the side effects of prescription drugs. I've never had any bad side effect from any prescription drug, but by God if you do a search for a drug and any sort of side effect, you'll find some guy on some forum talking about how some drug ruined his life.
And.... Same goes for firearms. My SR-22 has gobbled up 1,000 rounds without a glitch, but google "SR-22 jam" and there's the one Statistical Anomaly Guy out of three hundred who got a lemon and says Ruger quality control has gone to heck and he'll never buy another Ruger again.
