• Shortstack@reddthat.com
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    2 years ago

    The reality is that terrorists like this guy are armed and carrying all the time, but the second amendment is for all Americans including liberals, lefties, moderates and everyone in between.

    Im not advocating for violence, in fact having a concealed carry permit nearly always means the exact opposite. Someone being aggressive? You walk away and let them win. Someone tailgating you? Let them pass.

    Carrying is about situations like this, between a shop owner with a rainbow flag and someone out looking for an excuse to murder someone over rage bait.

    • fosho@lemmy.ca
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      2 years ago

      the problem I have with this is that you’re basically saying more people should have guns. a significant part of the issue is that there already are too many guns around and accessible and that is statistically going to result in more alterations resulting in shooting. you can talk about how much respect guns should be given all you want. but if more people have guns then there will be more gun violence.

      • Shortstack@reddthat.com
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        2 years ago

        You’re not wrong and I mainly don’t disagree with you.

        But look at it from another perspective.

        Those millions of guns in households are largely in the hands of conservatives since gun ownership skews heavily towards white people, males, and those living in rural areas which we already know also skews conservative, within which is a subset that fantasize about having a reason to murder their neighbors over dumb shit like colorful flags or opinions.

        Liberals are much more diverse of a population than conservatives which means that when it comes to liberals, women or poc the odds of them having a fighting chance are not great in a life or death situation they didnt create, vs who is most likely to be the aggressors, conservative white men.

        My take on it is that the cat is already out of the bag. In a perfect world I would prefer not having easy to operate life-ending tools spread freely throughout the country, but that’s not the reality we live in. The best shot we have is to even the playing field so to speak even with the downsides it presents. The current status quo is letting terrorists gun us down with impunity and that doesn’t sit well with me.

        • Digitalprimate@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          I disagree and think the core problem of too many guns could be solved the same way other Anglophone nations did it.

          However, your argument was very well written, and I appreciate both its intention and its focus on the human.

          • tacosplease@lemmy.world
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            2 years ago

            I’m open to a solution, but it’s unrealistic to expect Americans to give/sell back enough of their guns for it to work like it did in Australia.

            We have A LOT more guns here, and each one lasts 100 years or more. We could give up 99% of them (we wouldn’t though) and there would still be like 6 million guns here.

            • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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              2 years ago

              Demanding people give up their guns would just cause an open civil war. The solution that worked in other countries wouldn’t work here because the ideology is different.

          • Shortstack@reddthat.com
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            2 years ago

            I have no faith that what has worked in europe would work here given the political and cultural landscape before us. If it was feasible for america I’m not sure we would be in this situation now.

            I wish it was, you and me both, but until that changes I’m simply accepting the lay of the land for what it is and reacting accordingly. We can work towards a better solution in the meantime; these actions and thoughts are not mutually exclusive.

            However, your argument was very well written, and I appreciate both its intention and its focus on the human.

            Thanks for the kind words. It is rather annoying being the change I want to see in the world though.

    • Vlyn@lemmy.zip
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      2 years ago

      Carrying doesn’t do crap for self defense. The moment a crazy asshole pulls their gun at you and shoots you won’t even be able to comprehend the situation quick enough and get your own piece out of the holster.

      The crazy asshole always wins as they shoot first (they are usually cowards on top, so you might just get shot in the back).

      More guns just leads to more crazy assholes with guns, I feel much safer in European countries.

      • Shortstack@reddthat.com
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        2 years ago

        In the situation you outline, yeah you’d have no real chance at protecting yourself. And those situations do happen in cases like the Las Vegas hotel shooting or any of the various school shootings we’re seeing all over these days.

        In many other cases even the most craven assholes need to work themselves up to shoot another human being.

        That means arguments, harassment and threats.

        These are helpful advance warning signs that tell you that you’re entering dangerous waters and de-escalation tactics take priority. Many of our lady friends can already tell from a mile away if someone is dangerous even before they start flapping their mouthholes as a matter of everyday survival.

        If all of that fails and I hope to god that it doesn’t, that’s when having a concealed weapon gives you a fighting chance at defending your right to live. Especially for women, guns are the great equalizer.

        More guns just leads to more crazy assholes with guns

        You’re right, this is true.

        Unfortunately the cost of encountering a rather persistent strapped terrorist is extremely high even if the chance of it happening to you is low.

        • Vlyn@lemmy.zip
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          2 years ago

          Well, I rather live in a country where pretty much no one is strapped (except police and military and even then not all of them).

          Even the whole hero fantasy a lot of Americans have, it doesn’t work out. There is a famous video of someone shooting up a mall. A random guy carrying tried to sneak up on him. Then the girlfriend of the shooter popped him right in the head from behind (as he didn’t notice her following at a distance).

        • Vlyn@lemmy.zip
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          2 years ago

          You mean start arming black people. Fastest way to get gun regulation in the US.

      • Shortstack@reddthat.com
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        2 years ago

        There’s more than you realize.

        You likely don’t hear much about it because liberal gun owners don’t fetishize guns or base their personality around them like the chuds on the other side of the fence do. Guns are tools, not an identity.