[vzcx]

Right, right. Guns are absolutely about power. What is interesting to me about this difference between us is that I really, really want people to have that power: I think it is very important that regular people have this "violent potential" as you put it. Having the potential is obviously not the same as deploying it, but having it still matters very much.

Most people are good, trustworthy, and deserving of this power. A few people are not, but taking power away from regular people really won't do so much to help them. In fact, at the end of the day, all it does is force them to become like children, dependent on someone else -- or really, a special class of person, since people absolutely should work together -- for their own security.

"Society" is really nothing more than these people: those that choose "cooperate". It's not the same thing as the "political system" or even the "rule or law". Some people choose "defect", and view the cooperators as prey. Correct me if I misunderstand, but it seems to me, that out of fear of defectors, you want to take power from cooperators and give it to a sanctioned, "regulated" class of people. Presumably because you think you would be safer.

I think you can imagine why this would be ill-considered. If you are concerned about "equality", it's hard for me to imagine a more unequal state. We've basically arrived again at a medieval distinction between peasants, warriors, and priests. Who keeps your warriors in check? The unarmed peasants? The priests with their "regulations"? I'm guessing you are more of a priestly type. I would caution you, your magic is not as strong as you think it is, and it doesn't seem to work at all on the bandits.

It's a bad idea to dox gun owners, but I personally would be very pleased to learn that my neighbors are well armed. I already know a lot of them are. Perhaps you would not be. But if not, consider that you might need better neighbors or maybe a better relationship with them.

[jonahbenton]

I couldn't disagree more. With respect, all of these arguments are specious and exist in the world of fantasy, not reality.

The "dependent on someone else" business is in fact the way the world works, with billions of people, trillions of capital, millions of businesses, deeply interconnected trade, etc etc.

In this reality, everyone has a few jobs that they perform, and many, many jobs they don't. Doing your job, and leaving other jobs to others, is what adults do.

Children are people who don't understand reality and live in their fantasies, dreaming about days that never come, inventing stories about the creatures in their minds, not living in the world.

The question of "who keeps the warriors in check" in fact empirically answers itself, every single day.

Similarly, every single act of civilian gun violence- so unique to the United States- is the evidence against any argument that there is a legitimate role for gun possession.

Finally, with respect to well armed neighbors- the data and logic and every ounce of decency know that a world where everyone has a gun is a world where everyone dies prematurely, violently, needlessly.

The magical thinking is yours. I hope that you come out of it some time. Cheers.

[halffaday]

Writing an insult and punctuating it with “cheers” is so insincere and sanctimonious that your argument is it’s own counter-argument.

If you think civilian gun violence is unique to the US, you should really r check in on any country south of our border. All of which have much more restricted gun ownership.

[oldjavacoder]

"The bottom line is that both sex crimes and gun use are about violence and power."

Thank you for making it easy to ignore the remainder of your blather.

[vzcx]

Excuse me, sir, flamebait is classified as a destructive device. I'm going to need to see the NFA tax stamp for this post.

[krapp]

>We've basically arrived again at a medieval distinction between peasants, warriors, and priests. Who keeps your warriors in check? The unarmed peasants? The priests with their "regulations"? I'm guessing you are more of a priestly type. I would caution you, your magic is not as strong as you think it is.

Except, in reality, the peasants are armed to the teeth and not keeping the warriors in check at all, rather they and the warriors tend to pay fealty to the same lords. Although the armed peasantry does like to boast that if they weren't as armed to the teeth as they are, things would be much much worse, that claim seems as dubious to many as the priests' magic.

[vzcx]

Isn't it a good thing that armed citizens and the professional warrior caste like police and military -- who are also really just other citizens -- work together?

If you are asking why the glorious revolution hasn't happened despite having an armed to the teeth peasantry, then the answer is simple: the peasants are still getting their bread and circuses.