This Christmas was miserable for many people thanks to the ice knocking out power for hundreds of thousands. Unfortunately due to desperation for heat and light many have turned to generators without necessarily knowing all the dangers:
In Maine and Vermont, where state authorities described the ice storm as the worst since 1998, there were no deaths from falling tree limbs or fallen power lines. But each state reported one death from carbon monoxide from a generator run after power was lost.
The authorities reported a similar fatality in Michigan, and at least five people in eastern Canada were reported to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Many others in those places who used generators or grills to heat homes also fell ill from the toxic, but odorless, gas.
One can push this analogy into the “Gun Death” field. While horrible and sad that people are dead and many other sick, thousands are just fine, and riding out the storm in light and warmth.
There is no need for “Common Sense” generator control, instead we just need education on how these devices work and their potential dangers….much like firearms. Oddly the “Gun Death” crowd also opposes classes that teach people how to safely handle and use firearms.
