Are you more afraid of...

[Pogues]

Are you more afraid of getting shot or getting hit by a drunk driver?

Now, you may not be particularly afraid of either one, but if you were to choose which one would it be?

Why does it have to be a drunk driver? I'm more afraid of getting killed in an automobile accident, whatever the circumstances, than being shot. A drunk driver is just one type of "distracted" driver, or idiot driver. When you say shot, it includes a variety of circumstances I might be shot, some of which are virtually impossible would happen to me. With an automobile death, the circumstances are almost all possible.

So I'd say death in an auto accident. Since in America it's about as likely you'll die due to a gunshot wound as it is to die in an auto accident, it's a push for odds.

[Gregg]

So, why do you own 7 guns? Especially if you don't use them.

I grew up trapshooting and pheasant hunting. I did this with my Grandpa, Dad and Uncle. I stopped hunting when Grandpa's knees went out. I stopped trapshooting when I moved away from my family.

I kept my guns and have some of Grandpa's and Dad's guns. They are both passed on. They are in the gun case at the bottom of my basement steps. The gun case was handmade by my Dad and Uncle as a Christmas present to my Grandpa. I have lived in my house for 20 years and the case has not been opened. It makes me smile every time I go down stairs.

The hunting and trap shooting are some of my fondest memories.

[swampdragon]

I grew up trapshooting and pheasant hunting. I did this with my Grandpa, Dad and Uncle. I stopped hunting when Grandpa's knees went out. I stopped trapshooting when I moved away from my family.

I kept my guns and have some of Grandpa's and Dad's guns. They are both passed on. They are in the gun case at the bottom of my basement steps. The gun case was handmade by my Dad and Uncle as a Christmas present to my Grandpa. I have lived in my house for 20 years and the case has not been opened. It makes me smile every time I go down stairs.

The hunting and trap shooting are some of my fondest memories.

got it - sounds like it makes you happy - just keep the things locked in the case
and if you ever decide to use them, then have them checked by a pro and maybe retrain those now ancient skills of yours - probably better to just stick to bowling (but you already know that)

[overkill94]

Drunk driving is something that many people can envision as happening to them wherever they are. Gun deaths tend to be concentrated in certain places that are possible for most (non-poor, non-minority) people to avoid. Although the rate of gun deaths is higher than the rate of drunk driving deaths, I suspect that the number of people who are more at risk from drunk driving than guns is a majority of the population.

I'm guessing most drunk driving incidents are later at night so theoretically it's fairly easy to avoid as well.

I drive a ton as well for my job so I'm a hyper-aware driver. It may just be hubris but I feel like I have a better chance of avoiding an oncoming drunk driver than trying to dodge a bullet. For the record, I've never had to deal with either

[dslaw]

In 2013, a little over 10,000 people were killed in DWI-related accidents, according to MADD. In 2013, more than 33,000 Americans were killed by guns, according to the CDC.

To have 33,000 people killed by guns in a year would mean almost 100 deaths per day. This didn't seem right. I looked up the CDC numbers and it says 33,636 deaths by firearms during 2013, so your number is good. But digging deeper into those numbers it says 21,175 deaths were suicide and 'only' 11,208 homicides that year (unintentional, war, undetermined make up the difference). So if I am deciding which is more dangerous to me it is 10,000 people killed by DWI-related accidents (assuming MADD uses correct figures) vs. 11,200 homicides by firearms. Not to say that your point about guns isn't valid but you can't really say it is a 3:1 ratio.

[Lucky]

The uber-conservative Supreme Court determined that your 4th Amendment rights don't apply in DWI checkpoints because the state's interest in curbing drunk driving is more important than your right to be protected against unreasonable searches and seizures.

I know what you mean, but I would phrase it differently. The Courts have held uniformly that sobriety checkpoints constitute "seizures", and that, therefore, the Fourth Amendment is implicated. It's just that the Courts have in most cases found those seizures to be "reasonable". Being reasonable seizures, they don't violate the Fourth. So, they recognize the Fourth Amendment right and apply it, they just reach a conclusion other than you would.

There are a lot of hoops the Law Enforcement Agency has to jump through, though. I probably tossed more sobriety checkpoints and safety checkpoints that I let in. The rules are fairly simple, but sometimes guys get excited and say "hey, let's do a checkpoint tonight!"

[Lucky]

BTW, the OP wasn't about being killed by a drunk driver or a gunman. It was about being hit by a drunk driver or being shot. Tough to find stats on this. For example, using only homicide statistics would leave out the entire category of "Shot in the Face by a Vice President".

[Kevin Seitzer]

For example, using only homicide statistics would leave out the entire category of "Shot in the Face by a Vice President".

Don't be a Dick.