Gun Rights = Death
Here is something that every proponent of gun rights must accept: The cost of protecting their “right” to own guns is the death of innocent people.
Because individuals own guns in the United States there will be gun violence; people will die. Many of those people will be innocent bystanders; some will be family members, many will be children.
Where there are guns there will be gun-related deaths.
The price of gun ownership is the certain death of people. In 2011 there were 8,583 murders committed with a gun. Yet more people died by suicide and accidental discharge of a gun.
This is what economists call an externality. Externalities are the costs of economic activity that are not directly reflected in the cost of the activity. Externalities are an empirical reality, not “liberal bullshit.”
Deaths caused by guns are a cost of gun ownership that is not reflected in the price of a gun. Loss of life is a cost. The simple cost of a deceased person is that they will no longer add to the overall economy by earning a wage, paying taxes, and buying things. This excludes the costs to their family and friends, to the fabric of society; emergency services add to the costs.
If you are a proponent of gun rights you need to ask yourself: How many dead people per year are you willing to accept as the price of gun right?
You want to own guns? People will die. The equation is simple.
