The spark provides the energy to overcome the energy barrier I never once said catalyst. But that works too. Removing guns is analogous to removing the spark.

the spark is tiny, that's the whole idea, a tiny spark causes massive burnout. why would you use a bigger spark ? bigger matches are more expensive

i never said it did



it is wrong to say that removing gun laws is the spark, it is a catalyst if anything. Sparks are direct causes of ignition, but loose gun laws or a lack of thereof are not direct causes of violence. They might possibly lower the threshold of committing an act of violence, but then they are just like catalysts which lower the activation energy (=threshold) of a reaction.



i think it has potential, but it requires some refining. I don't see a point for making a carefully thought-out analogy for gun laws and gun violence, though... it's understandable as it is.

This post was edited by Neptunus on Jun 7 2013 02:37pm

No offense but I think it's a shitty analogy.

You are right that catalyst is the better analogy, but I believe poor gun laws are a direct cause, they are many causes. I used spark because I thought more people would be able to understand that vs a catalyst.

The rate of gun-included violence really hasn't gone up or down since guns became more modernized (Civil War and after). It's just a lot easier for one person in a rage to unload clips into crowded areas now than the good ol' times when you had a couple shots.