...To protect the public, (click link to title - thank you) we regulate cars and toys, medicines and mutual funds. So, simply as a public health matter, shouldn’t we take steps to reduce the toll from our domestic arms industry?...
There is extremely poor quality control, especially in ammunition.
I live in North Carolina most of the time. It is my state of residence. One might say I am no one to talk as I don't own a gun nor would I ever. I don't shoot guns, nor would I ever. However and much to my dismay I have friends and family that own and target shoot at local ranges.
There are different grades of ammunition that can be purchased to use in a weapon when arriving at the firing range. The ammunition in nearly every trip to the range has disappointed someone in attendance. There was one occassion whereby a nephew was with my son and his wife while practicing, so whatever it is they do. The gun was lent to my nephew by a man at the range when they were having a conversation. This was not an inexpensive weapon, but, one that anyone would want to own. The ammunition was not cheap, but, after the second shot my nephew found he had smoke coming out of the side of the gun and his right cheek was splattered with a small amount of blood. He was wearing protective googles and didn't have a splinter of any kind in his eye, but, he had a bruise and a cut that healed with some attendence of a bandage change and some ointment.
In another instance my daughter-in-law was firing her personal gun when she started to experience missed shots and found the bullets didn't fire correctly. There was nothing wrong with the gun, but, with the ammunition purchased at the firing range.
There is no one I know that does not carry their own personal weapons to these firing ranges, so the guns are maintained and kept in good condtion. Those blasted things are not cheap and neither is attending a firing range for an afternoon.
The point is the quality of the metal of bullet casings, the gun powder inside and the quality of the metal of the guns themselves REGARDLESS of their cost or their brand name is extremely CHEAP and dangerous and UNREGULATED.
In the case of the incident of my nephew, the owner was distressed more over the fact the gun literally blew up more so than the would my nephew sustained. He was obsessed with taking pictures of the gun to file a complaint and a claim evidently. The gun was relatively new and not an antique or otherwise.
The gun industry is like the oil and gas industry, they are turned loose in the USA to do as they please with absolutely NO oversight and it is always the public that pays the price in one way or another.
