However, we have no clue how much those problems are going to effect the percentage of those firearm murders being converted to murders with another weapon beyond difference in lethality stats. We also know that solving the major problems that contribute to all violence have other clear social benefits that are probably even more significant than the drop in murder rate. While we are bickering over whether you can trust me with a firearm or not, the social factors that lead to violence are only getting worse.

Or perhaps it is because they have an entirely different culture? One where violence had a severe cost just two generations ago, just about the same time had all cultural celebration of violence stomped out by foreign influence, and at the same time their national defense was overseen by an entirely different country so there was no nationalistic need to push any type of propoganda for desiring a career relating to violence on its young men. Assuming you could snap your fingers and make all the guns go away in America, you still haven't solved the underlying problems of undertreatment of the mentally ill, mistreatment of the poor, and the prevailing attitude that I'm not responsible for my own actions.

3D printing and a hotbutton political topic.

The tricky part is: if I make the wrong decision and plow into some innocents then they may get a few hundred thousand out of me and my insurance company, if Toyota's car decides to plow into some innocents there are a lot more dollar signs up for grabs.

To do what you suggest then you've got to bring everyone to the table. You have to hold everyone to the standards. That means you are going to starve growth in the third world. That means you have to get China to play ball. If you don't do that you will push first world businesses to operate in third world countries because it is cheaper to not be clean than to be clean. And who knows how you get China to play by the same rules as everyone else.

While SuperPACs are a problem, I don't think they are the fundamental problem. Lessig is promoting another patch to fix a piece of a broken system. The removal of SuperPACs would still leave us with a two party system. The people with money will continue to find ways to get around campaign finance reform and buy their power. I'll have wasted my money on a temporary solution and I'll still be practically disenfranchised by the wealthy.

My use of humanities courses has grown as much as my advanced math courses. Over my career I've used foreign language studies and psychology extensively in addition to the communication related courses. I've known of a few people who've had to some intesive historical research for technical projects and some computer science research requires a solid foundation in philosophical studies. Every education will have some stuff that you never use even in your own field, but a good education will expose you to the types of learning that you will need to grow your knowledge to complete any task.

Experience gives detailed in depth knowledge, education gives general broad knowledge. Being too far on either end of the spectrum can cause some difficulties. I've had several cases in my career where very good senior engineers were baffled by a problem too far afield of their experience and education, when the answer is basic 2nd year CS material.

I've known CC holders do the same while they carry, even when the other person starts a physical altercation. Having a firearm doesn't mean I have to use it to solve an altercation, it means having the option if things get to that point. Maybe you've got a skill, maybe you're in a good place in your life to not be as vulnerable, maybe you've just missed that situation where what you are and what you say is deterent enough. That isn't a one size fits all shoe you are wearing. Your experience doesn't change the idea that the primary purpose of a personal defense weapon is deterent.

I skimmed the article ( a little better than normal for /.), but it looked like he was arguing about the importance of humanities courses rather than humanities degrees. I'd agree with him that our current focus on STEM doesn't need to harm humanities courses. As I've grown in my field, I've found as great a wealth in my humanities classes as I have in my more advanced math courses.

"To want a gun is in a way proof that you're unfit to have one." So if a woman wants one after being raped and subsequently stalked, she is unfit? So if a prosecuter wants one because of how successful his career has been, he/she is unfit? If my grandfather wants one because the old man a block over was beaten to death by three teenagers, he is unfit? Don't imagine that the people who most vocally call for gun freedom are the people who benefit the most from it.

"Use a gun for its intended purpose = someone ends up dead" This seems rather simplistic. I don't own a gun but I've been researching and looking at various manufacturers for a while. Some firearms are clearly for personal defense (or homicide if you have little faith in humanity), some firearms are for killing specific types of animals other than humans, others are pretty poor choices for killing anything and are designed specifically for shooting inanimate targets, others are clearly designed to do little more than make the owner feel like a man. Finally, if I use a personal defense weapon for its intended purpose then I've never even drawn it because I've detered an attack by verbally confronting the person and letting them know I have the means and the will to protect myself.

"And if someone doesn't like the product or the idea of such a product, then don't buy one." Except that this technology is unproven and there are already attempts to legislate forcing it on gun owners. Although, even if it were actual law it wouldn't justify threatening anyone from the manufacturer.

This is R&D from a company that sells cars. A general assumption going in is: if the end consumer hasn't bought a new one at that point something has gone horribly wrong.

What is with these young people and their new fangled preversions? I guarantee you there were no perversions going on in my house growing up even when we had a corded phone.