orange808 wrote:
That's apocalypse. The entire global economy would fold. Any kind of civil war or coup would end the world.
I'm sorry, but someone with a gun talking about the apocalypse makes me nervous.
Would you rather some unarmed scrub with no power, experience or knowledge of the subject talk about it instead?
The failure of a single country is not apocalypse. It's an almost commonplace experience. Just not here in the west. Air Master's point is well taken, in that any country attempting to subdue its own citizenry, or even any invader attempting to conquer an armed populace, would face an
unwinnable battle. When every single citizen can go into their house and walk out with a firearm, how are your browncoats going to invade and impose their own martial law?
America has a lot of gun crime. It also has a
lot of guns. Far more guns than it has gun crime. The majority of legal owners of firearms in America are not violent criminals and do not shoot people.
If your argument is that the US needs more gun control, well I'm sure it's coming. I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of blue states eventually adopt California-esque restrictions on what types of firearms you are allowed to own. Probably limiting most people to a 10-round magazine and possibly outlawing semi-automatic rifles (the so-called "assault weapons" are really just semi-auto rifles.)
If your argument is that the US populace should be disarmed entirely, then good fucking luck with that pipe dream. Even if all gun manufacture in the US ceased tomorrow, and nobody was able to purchase or sell a firearm from that point on, there would still be enough guns in this country to last centuries. A properly-maintained firearm will last for multiple lifetimes.
You say we should use a standing army for defense. Do you
trust the current standing army? Do you trust, say, the
police? Why is it ok for corrupt cops to have guns but not responsible citizens? Why is it ok for an 18-year old, inexperienced enlistee to be given a fully automatic firearm, but a citizen with extensive knowledge and practical experience working with firearms shouldn't be allowed any gun at all?
At the end of the day, we are all just people. A soldier in the army is just a person. A cop is just a person. They might be a good person or a bad person. They might use their power responsibly or they might abuse it. A cop is not uniquely more qualified to make correct decisions with his or her weapon compared to a citizen. They receive mandatory training, but there is nothing stopping a citizen from seeking out training and becoming familiar with their firearm. Nor is a cop uniquely protected from making bad decisions despite their training.
Guns are just a tool. Maybe you feel it's a tool nobody should have access to. That's fine. But pandora's box is open and we can't go back. Removing guns from America completely would be as successful a play as our attempt to remove liquor was.
That's leaving aside completely the issue of dangerous animals. Much of America is wilderness connected by highways. When you live out in the sticks, there are no cops and no ambulances able to reach you in time to help. You can call them, but you still have to deal with the problem yourself. Many wild animals are more than capable of killing a person. At least, if you have a firearm, there's a chance you can scare an animal off or hurt it enough to convince it to peace out. When your nearest neighbor is a couple miles away, you come to appreciate the value of personal firearms.
