Socialism is an economic system in which the government owns many of the large businesses in the society. The government (whether you like it or not) passes laws every day which are believed (and yes, sometimes they are poorly designed) to help protect citizens from questionable behaviors or dangers emanating from others. That's why in many places: you can't shoot guns into the air over crowds (because falling bullets can seriously injure people), you can't raise tigers and let them loose, you can't drive with poor eyesight, you can't transport radioactive and biological hazard materials through many neighborhoods, etc. etc.