Posted on 07/08/2016 12:50:12 PM PDT by Trumpinator
SCOTT ADAMS' BLOG
Why Gun Control Can’t Be Solved in the USA
Posted June 22nd, 2016 @ 9:17am in #Trump #clinton2016
On average, Democrats (that’s my team*) use guns for shooting the innocent. We call that crime.
On average, Republicans use guns for sporting purposes and self-defense.
If you don’t believe me, you can check the statistics on the Internet that don’t exist. At least I couldn’t find any that looked credible.
But we do know that race and poverty are correlated. And we know that poverty and crime are correlated. And we know that race and political affiliation are correlated. Therefore, my team (Clinton) is more likely to use guns to shoot innocent people, whereas the other team (Trump) is more likely to use guns for sporting and defense.
That’s a gross generalization. Obviously. Your town might be totally different.
So it seems to me that gun control can’t be solved because Democrats are using guns to kill each other – and want it to stop – whereas Republicans are using guns to defend against Democrats. Psychologically, those are different risk profiles. And you can’t reconcile those interests, except on the margins. For example, both sides might agree that rocket launchers are a step too far. But Democrats are unlikely to talk Republicans out of gun ownership because it comes off as “Put down your gun so I can shoot you.”
Let’s all take a deep breath and shake off the mental discomfort I just induced in half of my readers. You can quibble with my unsupported assumptions about gun use, but keep in mind that my point is about psychology and about big group averages. If Republicans think they need guns to protect against Democrats, that’s their reality. And if Democrats believe guns make the world more dangerous for themselves, that is their reality. And they can both be right. Your risk profile is different from mine.
So let’s stop acting as if there is something like “common sense” gun control to be had if we all act reasonably. That’s not an option in this case because we all have different risk profiles when it comes to guns. My gun probably makes me safer, but perhaps yours makes you less safe. You can’t reconcile those interests.
Our situation in the United States is that people with different risk profiles are voting for their self-interests as they see it. There is no compromise to be had in this situation unless you brainwash one side or the other to see their self-interest differently. And I don’t see anyone with persuasion skills trying to do that on either side.
Fear always beats reason. So as long as Democrats are mostly using guns to shoot innocent people (intentionally or accidentally) and Republicans are mostly using guns for sport or self-defense, no compromise can be had.
—
*I endorsed Clinton for president for my personal safety. I write about Trump’s powers of persuasion and it is not safe to live in California if people think you support Trump in any way. Also, I’m rich, so I don’t want anything to change in this country. The rest of you might have a different risk profile.
The vast majority of crimes committed with guns are by DemocRats.
Ping for later.
and...correlation is not causality...
At the bottom of all this intellectual effluent, the bottom line is always going to be PERSONAL responsibility and PERSONAL bias toward action (to whatever degree along the continuum).
There is nothing in that for the ‘society’, nothing about the common good, nothing about anything that the progressives insist is the ‘proper’ way to live.
You will ultimately face your maker, on your own. Live as though that were coming sooner, not later. Because it very likely is...
It might be noted as an aside that the abortion controversy is mostly Republicans trying to keep Democrats from killing their babies.
GOP = the party of preserving life. That includes preserving life through the right to self defend.
and robot bombs too
Democrats are the party of crime and corruption. But the GOPe isn’t far behind.
The statistics actually back up what Dilbert says.
He does it in a clever way, but he is getting the truth out.
Most Democrats actually need guns to defend against other Democrats *more* than Republicans do. The problem is, once they become aware enough to get a gun and learn to use it to defend themselves, they often convert and become Republicans.
The first democrat I have ever seen with a logical mind....how the heck does he remain a dem????
The author only is a Dem so the Dems won’t kill him - he said as much.
It comes down to this: murder is already against the law.
The democrats want to criminalize self defense.
They have already tried it when they took a guy to court for killing a perp inside his own home by saying that the homeowner could have run out the back door. Luckily the SC struck down that law and came up with the “castle doctrine:.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.