this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2024
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guns

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Keep it civil.

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I hope this isn't out of context, also I don't want to "own the libs" or something here, I'm actually interested.

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[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Honestly, I think it's mostly fear.

Rightly so, because you could get shot just for coming across some idiot who's having a bad day.

There are no "practical" uses for a gun that come up often enough in people's lives to outnumber the needless death from misuse, or purposeful murder.

Since 2007, there have been less than 500 justifiable homicides per year in the US. And that includes all means of defense. So it's a myth that gun owners are somehow more responsible for their own safety. People just aren't using guns for self defense. You know what they are using them for? Murder.

So the people who defend gun ownership are the ones shunting personal responsibility to protect themselves and their communities.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/251894/number-of-justifiable-homicides-in-the-us/

[–] JackiesFridge@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Along the lines of "fear" I would also add that ubiquitous gun ownership is a large reason for the militarisation and overzealous violence in American police departments. Since anybody could be bristling with guns, the police approach many situations armed for the worst. This makes nobody safer.

[–] BaldProphet@kbin.social 0 points 7 months ago

Anybody could be bristling with guns since long before the militarization of police in America.

[–] BaldProphet@kbin.social 0 points 7 months ago

Nah, man. The police have no obligation to protect me, and even if they did, they can't get to me fast enough.

Private weapon ownership (of guns or any other weapons) is inseparable from the human right of self-defense.