Supercharged Cars vs. Supercharged Guns
by
Eric Peters
EricPetersAutos.com
WeÂ’re
told there’s no legitimate use for an “assault rife”
– that is, a rifle that looks menacing because it has a military-style
stock or flash suppressor. Even though it functions exactly
like a regular hunting rife: One pull of the trigger, one bullet
is fired. Maybe it has a higher capacity magazine (more bullets
to fire without reloading) than a regular hunting rifle. ThatÂ’s
the extent of the functional differences.
Ok. LetÂ’s
apply the same logic to cars.
Who really
needs a car such as the 2012 Jaguar XFR IÂ’m reviewing
this week? It looks very menacing – and it has a 510
hp supercharged V-8, the equivalent – if you follow the logic
of the folks who don’t like “assault rifles” –
of a high-capacity magazine. Arguably, it has at least four cylinders
(and 300 hp) too many for any “reasonable” purpose.
All that power,
all that performance capability – what legitimate use
is there for it?
And yet, Jaguar
– and other purveyors of high-performing cars – are not
pilloried as merchants of death. You do not hear much tut-tutting
talk about the machinations of the car lobby.
ItÂ’s an
interesting – and revelatory – psychological disconnect.
The elites – the Chuck Schumers, the BHOs, the Clintons, et
al. – love to talk up what they dishonestly like to call
gun control (dishonestly, because theyÂ’re really talking about
controlling people – and specifically, other people,
not them). TheyÂ’ll demand prior restraint of not just
gun owners but would-be gun owners – on the theory that because
some one of them might do something harmful with a gun, all
of them must be restrained a priori: Restricted by law from
owning or possessing a gun, not because of anything they have actually
done with the gun – but because of something they might –
might! – do with a gun. And not even necessarily them.
It is sufficient
that anyone – not you, just anyone – might
do something.
Fine. Why not
apply the same reasoning to high-powered cars like the $82,000 Jag
thatÂ’s sitting in my driveway right now. I could hop in and
make full use of all 510 supercharged hp, running the car up to
its top speed of 170-plus MPH faster than a Prius can get to 70.
And even if I donÂ’t do that, someone could do that.
Well, what
about the children?
Apparently,
it’s ok for them to – possibly, just maybe – get
run down by the supercharged Jag as it blasts through a school zone
doing four times the limit (because it can, after all). But
itÂ’s not ok for me to drive the Jag at the speed limit through
the same school zone . . . with my “high-powered” gun
along for the ride.
The difference?
Gun-controllers tend not to own guns (much less know anything about
guns) while they often do own prestigious, high-dollar cars
like the Jag – and are very much preoccupied with having more
in the way of power/capability than their neighbors.
Or you.
August
9, 2012
Eric Peters
[send him mail] is an automotive
columnist and author of Automotive
Atrocities and Road Hogs (2011). Visit his
website.
Copyright
© 2012 Eric Peters