Is that a serious remark?
Just like car safety people like to remind us that a collision is rarely an accident, it's usually a negligent action, the same holds true for gunfire. A lot of folks will call it an accidental discharge, but to people who do have a great track record with firearms, and do handle them with the safety they demand, they call it a negligent discharge, which is far more accurate.
I'm not a big fan of gun to ____________ analogies because the fundamental purposes of a gun are fairly unique, but with the number of deaths and injuries in ladder falls, maybe certain height ladders shouldn't be sold, and people should clean their own gutters, or get to own an aluminum ladder, only fiberglass.
Anyway, idiots and guns have gone together for a long time, but like most things, it's the day to day actions of the vast majority that go unnoticed.
I wish people quit using weapons for crimes, and were safer with them to reduce negligent incidents.
The purpose of a gun is not really that unique. It is a tool that is most often used for hunting, much like a bow and arrow or (for the braver souls) bowie knives. Your analogy with a ladder is particularly erroneous, because no part of the ladder's function is explicitly intended to kill. And please, don't bother to make the argument that guns are not necessarily intended to kill.
I am not anti-gun, but it's so generic seeing people (not just you) complain about how other people are not responsible, and this is the main cause of gun-related accidents. It's like if the answer was that simple, then why aren't more people advocating for gun education or stricter regulation? Instead, people make it an all or nothing situation, to where if there's any regulation, it's an imposition on our freedoms, or if there is any presence of guns, it is a threat to our safety. We need more moderates willing to consider the details, not generic, half-hearted generalizations. It's like everyone "knows" this is the problem, but all they really want to do is complain about it and make it easier to blame the unpredictability of human nature.
I agree that 99% of gun-related "accidents" are the cause of negligence. But that is totally separate from guns being used intentionally in crime. If a person has the intent to kill another, they'll do it whether they are using a gun, knife, whatever. Guns make the task infinitely easier, though, by allowing a person to kill from a distance, which in many senses requires much less commitment to the task than say stabbing someone.
Also, the idea that most people who own a gun don't know how to use them is pretty dumb. I live in the South, and by extension, I live near a LOT of under-educated, close-minded people. But one thing 90% of people here know how to do is handle a gun. Ironically, the fact that guns are much more prevalent around here makes their safety a more prominent concern (I actually took a hunter's safety course as an elective credit towards my associate's, which I didn't even initially think possible).
