In his desperate attempt to Save The ARs, Jinentonix has brought up a serious problem. He only did it to Save The ARs, and I don't for a second think he gives two shits about the dangers of texting while driving, but it is a societal problem which has technological and regulatory solutions.
We regulate automobiles very strictly, largely because they didn't exist in the wayback, and the courts have decided for some reason that the internet is the EXACT SAME THING as a hand-cranked printing press, and an AR-15 with a 75-round drum magazine is EXACTLY THE SAME THING as a muzzle-loading Brown Bess musket, but an automobile is a WHOLE NOTHER THING from a buckboard wagon. Hence, the government can regulate the manufacture of automobiles and the conduct of drivers pretty much any damn way it feels like. Seat-belt and helmet laws spring to mind, as do all of the safety and pollution-control equipment and requirements that would VIOLATE MAH RAHTS if it was anything but automobiles.
So. . . suggestions.
1. Strengthen the laws against texting and driving. Bigger fines, jail terms, license loss.
2. Forbid manufacturers from offering WiFi hotspots as part of a car's equipment.
3. At least consider requiring manufacturers to make cars mobile-communications proof, at least while the engine is on or the car is in gear. The latter would allow you to pull over and call/text/get your funny-cat fix, but would prevent you from doing it while driving.
What say y'all?
I woulda put this in the thread on the Uvalde massacre, but that would be whataboutery and pretending I give two shits, and I try not to indulge in cheap fallacies.
We regulate automobiles very strictly, largely because they didn't exist in the wayback, and the courts have decided for some reason that the internet is the EXACT SAME THING as a hand-cranked printing press, and an AR-15 with a 75-round drum magazine is EXACTLY THE SAME THING as a muzzle-loading Brown Bess musket, but an automobile is a WHOLE NOTHER THING from a buckboard wagon. Hence, the government can regulate the manufacture of automobiles and the conduct of drivers pretty much any damn way it feels like. Seat-belt and helmet laws spring to mind, as do all of the safety and pollution-control equipment and requirements that would VIOLATE MAH RAHTS if it was anything but automobiles.
So. . . suggestions.
1. Strengthen the laws against texting and driving. Bigger fines, jail terms, license loss.
2. Forbid manufacturers from offering WiFi hotspots as part of a car's equipment.
3. At least consider requiring manufacturers to make cars mobile-communications proof, at least while the engine is on or the car is in gear. The latter would allow you to pull over and call/text/get your funny-cat fix, but would prevent you from doing it while driving.
What say y'all?
I woulda put this in the thread on the Uvalde massacre, but that would be whataboutery and pretending I give two shits, and I try not to indulge in cheap fallacies.
