The National Rifle Association says that blind people shold be able to carry guns because that’s freedom from tyranny: If you are the type of person who would prefer people who shoot guns actually be able to see what it is they are shooting at, the NRA wants you to know that not only are you wrong, you’re also being really offensive to blind people. A new video released by the nation’s biggest gun advocacy group argues that blind people are perfectly capable of safely owning guns and also of effectively using them when they are in danger. According to NRA spokesman and former Navy SEAL Dom Raso, blind people may actually be better with guns because, as we’ve all heard, blind people make up for their lack of sight by compensating with other senses. “Fact is that it’s been proven that people that lack vision have an increased awareness of their hearing and spatial surroundings. “ With all due respect to Raso, but the real “fact is that the psychological data on blindness and the other senses is ambiguous. While scientists believe blind individuals do find ways to use their other senses more efficiently, there is some dispute about the idea that the senses themselves are actually heightened. It’s certainly not the case that blind people compensate so fully for their lack of sight that they create a fully auditorial mental map of their environment like the superhero Daredevil. Under the best of circumstances, guns are extremely dangerous. Add to that the idea that the person using them can’t actually see what is going on and the problems multiply. In fact, according to gunmaker Remington’s very own “10 commandments of gun safety,” a blind person would, by default, break the 4th one. “You can’t stop a shot in mid-air, so do not fire unless you know exactly where your shot is going and what it will strike. Never fire at a sound, a movement or a patch of color. A hunter in camouflage can easily be mistaken for a target by an impulsive shooter. Before you pull the trigger be absolutely sure of your target and what’s behind it.” Not being able to see would make checking what’s behind your target nearly impossible. At best the gun owner would have to use their best guess about their surroundings. There is simply no way to know if there is an innocent person behind the thing they are firing at.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 06:06:19 +0000
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