this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 22 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Open or concealed carry is insane. You Americans are unhinged.

This is from a gun owner.

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Believing a politician can unilaterally suspend a right protected by both the federal and state constitution is unhinged.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wasn't commenting on that, I was commenting on carrying a gun in public

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Licensed concealed carriers have a lower violent crime rate than the general public. So its unhinged to ban these individuals from carrying thinking it'll stop criminals.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Again, I wasn't commenting about the ban. Just the desire to carry a gun in public.

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[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Licensed concealed carriers have a lower violent crime rate than the general public.

Than the general public in America maybe, but legal gun owners in other countries have a violent crime rate of functionally zero, since they're properly vetted through laws that aren't dogshit.

But even giving you that point, what about all the violent crime those permissive laws enable?

Over 70% of mass shooters use legal firearms. Of the remaining, most are teenagers who took the poorly secured firearm of a family member.

There is no magic gun fairy distributing illegal firearms. Every firearm in the hands of a criminal was either bought legally, stolen from a "responsible gun owner" who didn't secure it, straw purchased or purchased through a loophole.

Nevertheless, the pro-gun community opposes more robust background checks, mandatory safe storage laws or the closing of loopholes.

And what does the public get in return? Mostly just shot because none of the pro-gun promises have come true.

Good guys with guns intervene in 3% of shootings. The crime rate remains the same as comparable countries. The country is no more free when measured by any metric except guns. The government spies on and kills its own citizens.

The gun laws are a failure.

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't feel like writing an essay to address all your points, I don't have the time right now I'm sorry. Ultimately it comes down to the fact the highest law (and most state constitutions) of the land gives us the inalienable right to arms. Period. (And no "well regulated" does not mean legal regulations)

I believe we would be far better off dealing with the root of violence, like many European countries have done but gun control advocates like to only focus on gun control laws. People with financial, health, reproductive, and employment security don't commit violent crimes. Things like labor protections, maternity/paternity leave, mandatory vacation time, physical and mental healthcare that won't bankrupt you are some of the things that dramatically reduce all violent crime regardless of the tool used.

Look at violent crimes in the US compared to the UK for things like murder using only the human body (ie kicks, punches, strangulation, etc), its lower per 100k in the UK and many other European countries. There's no body control laws restricting how strong or trained your body can be, yet its lower. Its because people who's needs are actually met don't need to turn to or are driven to crime, our social protections in the USA suck ass and need to be fixed.

[–] SHOW_ME_YOUR_ASSHOLE@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I agree with you. Even if the US got rid of every single gun in the country we'd probably still have just as many murders. There's something else at play here that causes us to be violent. As a general rule happy people don't kill others. Legislation to fix our social issues would go a long way towards reducing violence, but it's a whole lot easier to just say "guns bad".

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

You've built a idea of how murder works entirely in your imagination.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Even if the US got rid of every single gun in the country we'd probably still have just as many murders.

Absolutely not. Your odds of surviving a knife attack are an order of magnitude higher than of you are shot.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah sounds good. How about we take your guns now and when you've finished building all of that, you can have them back?

After all, your post is clearly admitting that American society isn't fit for the near indiscriminate sale of guns to citizens.

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because guns in America are used defensively at least 1 to 1 (this ratio is higher in some studies) with their use in crime. So no, until the crime is gone I want to defend myself. And once crime is gone, then who are you making safer by disarming anyone.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Are you basing those numbers on the study that just asked gun owners about "defensive gun use" without any form of validation whatsoever?

Regardless, your talking point had nothing to do with anything I posted, you clearly just wanted to say it. Are you worried I might have hurt your guns feelings?

70% of mass shooters are legal gun owners. Of the remaining, most are children who took the unsecured firearm of a family member.

The pro-gun community has spent 20 years insisting that they (and they alone) have the answers yet the problem continues to spiral further out of control. The number of guns used in crimes that were bought through "gun show loopholes" is on the rise, but the pro-gun community still opposes background checks for private sales.

So regurgitate all the gun lobby talking points you want because your word is worthless.

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You literally asked what if we took all he guns away and I gave a counterpoint why i think that would be bad. If you doubt my sources (which is impressive since i hadn't provided any yet) say so instead of jumping to insults. If you want to start ad hominem attacks, just reply to yourself cause I'm not interested in continuing the conversation.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So your answer to "What if we took your guns away?" is "Because guns in America are used defensively"?

Lie better.

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hey if being such an asshole to someone who's done nothing to you make you feel good, have fun. Not letting people provide evidence and going strait to being rude is a great way to think you're always right.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If even if I were that, I'd still have the moral high ground over someone who insists the deaths of hundreds of innocent people is just the price society has to pay for their hobby.

Because do you know what's far more offensive than someone "being rude" on the internet? Children mutilated beyond recognition by a legal gun owner.

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

other countries have a violent crime rate of functionally zero

The US isn't far removed from homicide rates of other countries when comparing the rates.

Ironically, you highlight the problem is violence and the drives to it over the firearms.

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Fun little exercise for anyone clicking that link: Sort by highest homicide rate and scroll down until you hit "United States", counting the number of countries along the way that you'd be comfortable moving to and would expect to have a reasonably comparable quality of life to the USA.

Was the number zero? Probably, because most of those countries are not doing well. Wars, widespread poverty, corruption, exploitation, poor educational and medical outcomes.

I'm sure plenty of them are full of amazing people and cultures and would be great for a holiday, but they're not exactly nipping at the USAs heels when it comes to GDP.

Anyway, we've identified all the countries that are worse, what about the ones that are better? Keep scrolling down past the USA, still looking for that country you'd actually want to live in.

Takes a while huh? You'd think with all the promises the pro-gun people make and comparative wealth of America, it would be firmly in the #1 spot.

Ironically, you highlight the problem is violence and the drives to it over the firearms.

Nobody is claiming that gun control will stop all violence. But the existence of violence doesn't obligate us to provide quick, easy access to the means to escalate violence and maximise damage, even to people with a long history of red flags.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's a horrible selection bias though. That is basically saying "this group of people with no violent crimes in their records has a lower violent crime rate than the general public which does." Of course they do.

[–] sudo22@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes. You're right, these people are vetted by the state and authorized because they passed BG checks and firearms proficiency tests. Which is why a law targeting this group is dumb (beyond just being unconstitutional).

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago

Definitely should have been in your initial point since I have often seen that point used by gun nuts as if they are some paragon of lawfulness. Permitted concealed carry owners are definitely not the ones committing violent crime in New Mexico. Can't really say the same for quite a few other states that allow permitless concealed carry though.

[–] rambaroo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Good thing open carry isn't protected then.

[–] sith_lord_zitro@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I think the last time we cared about another country's opinion of how we live our lives was in 1775.

[–] Soulg@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We'd definitely be better off if we actually care about how countries that are objectively better in multiple metrics do things differently.

Like oh I don't know, Healthcare. Plus the overwhelming amount of gun violence that doesn't exist in any other country than our own, the other ones are probably on to something.

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago

They do tend to do the whole social safety net thing far better.

[–] jcit878@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

my God do you realise how cringe this statement is

[–] PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Well, how the people who haven't been shot yet live their lives at least.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca -3 points 1 year ago

Hah, a classic!

[–] missveeronica@lemmynsfw.com -3 points 1 year ago

I wish I could give you a gold award.

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"This from a gun owner" is my favorite take on the "how do you do, fellow kids" meme.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well I own 5 guns and would never even consider carrying in public ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nifty. Neither being a firearm owner nor count of firearms in any way invalidates the decisions of those who choose to do so.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You're right. It was only a side point to imply that not every gun owner is as loony as certain American ones.

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Unfortunately, the only loony stance here is that legally carrying firearms is somehow a loony thing to do.

It's always weird seeing how incapable some people are of considering that a different point of view is every bit as valid as their own.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not all views are valid. That should be pretty obvious. I don't consider carrying a firearm to be a valid view. It's paranoia on the level of believing lizard people run government.

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not all views are valid.

I don’t consider carrying a firearm to be a valid view.

It's interesting that you seem incapable of considering yours may be the invalid view.

It’s paranoia on the level of believing lizard people run government.

I'd argue being so terrified of the possibility someone might be legally carrying a firearm to, itself, be the indicator of paranoia.

[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're making a lot of assumptions. I have considered both views and formed an opinion. You also seem to be implying that I'm "terrified" that someone could be carrying a gun, but I'm not sure how your jumped into my brain to figure that out.

[–] jeremy_sylvis@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I have considered both views and formed an opinion.

And yet, it's somehow unfathomable that a person might simply wish to exercise their rights in carrying a firearm - to you, the only possibility is such absurd hyperbole as paranoia on the level of believing lizard people run government. Truly, deep consideration.

You’re making a lot of assumptions.

You also seem to be implying that I’m “terrified” that someone could be carrying a gun, but I’m not sure how your jumped into my brain to figure that out.

I find one's absurd hyperbole to be an apt indicator. For example, seeking to portray those with a different view as unhinged and paranoid for - by all appearances - simply not agreeing with you.

That aside, it's simply the ironic mirror to your assumption of paranoia in others. Unless, of course you jumped into their brains.