Interesting article. I don’t think the linguistic argument used in the OPED is going to sway anyone to support gun control.
I think a lot of the efforts to implement gun control ignore the nature of the US. The country is large and in some areas people can not rely on quick police response or if the police can respond quickly, they can’t be trusted to act in good faith.
We certainly need some gun control to prevent those who are mentally ill or previously convicted of violent crimes from owning guns. Even processes for these, if put in place, must be appealable to ensure universal fair treatment. Additionally mandatory wait times would be great as well.
I think bans of X gun because it’s scary are non sensical because those bans are not going to win over any gun rights advocates to create a national consensus.
The large majority of gun owners never commit a violent crime and should not be told to give them up because of the actions of a few.
Banning guns with a high sustained rate of fire is not stupid. It’s just politically convenient that some of them look scary.
Many, but not most, Americans need guns. Almost none need guns that can accurately shoot dozens of rounds in a short span.
The number of Americans that NEED guns is a vanishingly small percentage. Such a need should be easy to prove and easy to regulate.
I agree that it’s easy to prove but America has a huge rural population and if you live in the country it’s a good idea to own a gun.
Why?
For the first 13 years of my life I lived on a rural dirt road surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest. I can think of exactly zero times in those years where we needed a gun.
Well that is just one individual out of millions. Just because you don’t see a need doesn’t mean others don’t. Plus us as individuals can’t determine what other large groups can and cannot have. We don’t have the same life experiences.
Someone may be the victim of a sexual assault and when living in a rural area having something to defend themselves gives them some peace of mind.
Imagine living in a small neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and you don’t get along with a corrupt police force. When you are in danger from someone during a home invasion or if you are hiking in the wilderness, you may not trust the cops to act in your best interest
Plus us as individuals can’t determine what other large groups can and cannot have. We don’t have the same life experiences.
Us as a collective do so all the time. It is a totally normal activity in a society. Nations other than the USA have successfully done this with guns. There is no reason the USA could not do the same except will power.
The rest of your paranoid what-if scenarios are not a valid reason for everyone to have access to unlimited firepower.
