Posted on 10/31/2016 7:08:21 AM PDT by rktman
Guns are an important part of American history, both from a legal and illegal standpoint. From the single action revolvers of the old West to mobsters with Thompson submachine guns, American culture and society have enshrined firearms into our national iconography. They are inherently complicated things, created with the latent potential to protect or to destroy. Beyond our national discussion of gun legislation, the possession of deadly weapons by regular citizens remains a more contested issue.
The far right and the far left are exaggerating and arbitrarily simplifying what is an extremely nuanced and philosophical question. I hope to reframe our current political discourse and put it into the historical, even global context of human violence. Instead of looking at statistics, which Mark Twain termed “damn lies,” we would do well to hypothesize for a moment. What place do firearms have in American society?
(Excerpt) Read more at info.umkc.edu ...
When any leftist starts spouting the words “extremely nuanced”, that is an alarm siren that means “Obfuscation incoming!”
2A Safety Valve Ping.
Yes. Next question?
RKBA ping. :)
RKBA ping. :)
Does Freedom of Speech still have a place in American society?
...What place do firearms have in American society?...
The preexisting one whose existence is acknowledged by the Second Amendment.
They may be dated, but until I can get a phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range, they will have to do.
BFYTW My basic right to self defense does not depend on anyone, including the governments, opinion.
Firearms are the great equalizer. Absent firearms, the strongest can run rampant against the weak.
Yes, firearms play a role in the American society. They make citizens equal to the predators.
Best point post Award!
How can anyone argue with that?
RE: “How else can I protect my family. The courts just recycle the criminals, so I have no other choice!”
that looks like a Colt...
Dude, that’s a Colt.
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“consent of the people”. Freedom of press and voting are the most important step. The 2nd backs those up.
The press is ignoring their role in society.
Voting is getting more and more untrusted all the time (voter id, dead on roles, illegals, electronic/paperless voting, etc).
If we lose the 2nd we also lose “consent of the people”. There is literally nothing left for the elite to be afraid of at that point.
The first steps in reducing the need for the 2nd would be for a real press to emerge and citizens to regain faith in the voting process. I think the 2nd is still needed then but without those the 2nd is just as important as when the country was founded. Or “consent of the people” is no longer desired.
Like them or not, the Bundys have shown the purpose of the 2nd and the reason the government wants so much to get rid of it. They did not give consent and the government couldn’t easily force “consent”. And that’s a good thing even if you disagree with the Bundys arguments or methods.
It is possible to remove weapons from society. But how do you remove them from the dredges of society. We’re not concerned with law abiding people, only the criminals. So if you can make sure the criminals can’t get them, they could be stored and pulled out for recreation like hunting or competitive shooting on ranges. It is done successfully on military bases and posts. But they absolutely threaten criminals with guns at the gates. If so, they could be treated like golf clubs or pool ques. But I don’t think they will be able to stop the criminals from getting them. So, end of supposition.
red
To be fair, it wasn’t Jackson County, Missouri that wanted to spend that money, it was a Federal Judge’s idea. The idea was to build an urban school district so fancy that suburban white families would rush to send their kids to it. Of course it failed. I have no idea what became of the state-of-the-art high school that was built in K.C. I know it included a film lab, a historic cabin, complete with full-time caretaker— everything that someone spending someone else’s money could think of.
THIS ^
Who is "they" the guns or the people?
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