Costas, Whitlock and gun control

Thought this deserved its thread, if only to get it out of the group psychosis of the initial Belcher thread. Don't know how many people saw Costas during the game last night, but he took his fireside chat and essentially read Whitlock's column over the air.

Costas: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/bob-costas-gun-control-jovan-belcher_n_2229496.html

Whitlock: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/jovan-belcher-kansas-city-chiefs-murder-suicide-tragedy-girlfriend-self-leave-orphan-daughter-why-still-playing-sunday-120112

In the coming days, Belcher’s actions will be analyzed through the lens of concussions and head injuries. Who knows? Maybe brain damage triggered his violent overreaction to a fight with his girlfriend. What I believe is, if he didn’t possess/own a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.

I think this is undoubtedly true. Regardless, it's a raging topic -- start Googling Costas and "gun control" will be one of the first choices attached to his name.

 

Reader comment at Deadspin, reposted here from other thread:

"OJ would not have shot his wife with a knife if guns were banned."

 

Costas channelling Whitlock. Probably not the time or place. If you are going to do that, own it all. Don't outsource the indignation or commentary. Thought it was unnecessary.

The idea behind background checks etc. is nice. That people in a huff won't be able to go out buy a gun and go shoot someone. But so many people have guns these days, it probably makes it moot.
Blaming "gun culture" is trying to establish "meaning" in a situation that has none.

 

Bob Costas believes that if Rick Majerus didn't own a spoon he'd be alive today.

 

Perkins probably would have died at Belcher's hands, literally, or with some other weapon - knife, bat, lamp, rocks - if he had not used a firearm. He snapped and wanted to kill her and himself. He would have accomplished that somehow.

To say she'd be alive if he didn't have one is pure speculation.

 

If I had a nickel for all of my Facebook friends with status updates about this yesterday ... I'd probably have a dollar.

 

While I disagree with Costas (and Whitlock), I'm amused at how some NRAers are basically saying their Second Amendment rights trump his First Amendment rights.

 

Obviously, Whitlock threatened to eat Costas if he didn't pimp his column.

 

Yeah probably. Probably.

Probably.

Be nice to know.

 

Guns make it so easy and so instantaneous. You can make a two-second decision and someone is dead. I just don't think that happens when you're dealing with the more physically confrontational ways.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeardley_Love

 

I doubt Kansas City is much different than most many American cities in that if you want to buy a handgun on the quick, all you have to know which street corner to visit.