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Why We Need "Common Sense" Alcohol Control
Unattributed, from the Northwest Firearms gun forum board

Special to The Libertarian Enterprise

Consider:

5% of all deaths from diseases of the circulatory system are attributed to alcohol.

15% of all deaths from diseases of the respiratory system are attributed to alcohol.

30% of all deaths from accidents caused by fire and flames are attributed to alcohol.

30% of all accidental drownings are attributed to alcohol.

30% of all suicides are attributed to alcohol.

40% of all deaths due to accidental falls are attributed to alcohol.

45% of all deaths in automobile accidents are attributed to alcohol.

60% of all homicides are attributed to alcohol.

Over 100,000 people per year die due to alcohol ... far more than die from firearms.

Resolved:

It's time for some "common sense" alcohol controls.

We need to implement background checks on the purchase of alcohol to insure that alcohol is not sold to alcoholics.

All persons who wish to purchase alcohol should first be required to get a license, get fingerprinted, pay for an ID card, and register all alcohol purchases with the BATFE.

There needs to be a mandatory 3-day waiting period on the purchase of all alcoholic beverages, since 30% of all suicides are alcohol related. And there should be a one-bottle-per-month limit on all alcohol purchases, as well as a ban on any out-of-state sales of alcohol.

High-capacity 40-ounce "assault bottles" of alcohol have no "legitimate social drinking purpose" and need to be outlawed. Wine and beer should only be sold in 6-ounce cans or bottles instead of the high-capacity "cop killer" containers that cause so many deadly drunk driving accidents.

All bottles of alcohol should come with mandatory child-proof caps. Persons who wish to keep alcohol in their homes should be required to store it in a safe, subject to police inspection. Persons who wish to stockpile dangerous "arsenals" of alcohol in their homes should be required to maintain liability insurance for any damage their alcohol may cause. And all future alcohol containers should be equipped with biometric "smart-bottle" technology that will prevent consumption by underaged or unlicensed persons.

Possession or use of alcohol in public should be banned. All bars and taverns should be closed. Persons wishing to transport alcohol in their car should be required to lock it in a case in the trunk, separate from any bottle-openers or glasses.

We as citizens need to stand up to the alcohol lobby. We need to enact common-sense alcohol control now. Our rights to have alcohol come with responsibilities, and we must accept the fact that, as citizens, we need the government to monitor and oversee our alcohol use because it knows what is best for us.

It is a small price to pay if it will save one child ...

(Sources: NIDA Report, the Scientific American and Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario.) Also see Alcohol Consumption and Mortality, Alcohol poisoning deaths, CDC report. And a tip of the hat to Tommy Creasing.

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