4 ms·

That's just my point. You've taken what would otherwise be perfectly natural, and made it seem sinister. For example, my grandfather (still alive at 92) likes

That's just my point. You've taken what would otherwise be perfectly natural, and made it seem sinister. For example, my grandfather (still alive at 92) likes to talk about growing up in the Depression. He tells about going to school carrying his .410/.22 over/under. He'd leave the gun in the coat room for the day. While riding home, he'd hunt for rabbits or squirrels to take home for dinner. That was just common sense. So what was perfectly natural for my grandfather would be looked at differently today. Now, a kid forming the shape of a handgun with his thumb and forefinger is considered evil behavior. But it's only a model of what was benign, civil behavior for my grandfather. BTW, I despise the phrase "common sense". In current usage, it seems to have become a euphemism for "I can't provide a rational argument, so I'm just going to wave my hands". My usage above was sarcastic, for that reason. EDIT: spelling, clarity

dugmartin 16y ago
My dad brought his muzzleloader to my 4th grade class in 1980 and gave a talk about how it worked and how to pour your own lead balls. I can't imagine what the SWAT team response to that would be today.
Tichy 16y ago
Still, why would you carry a sword or a gun onto a university campus? It seems rather useless, so the environment is right to consider it not normal and hence threatening. Even if your logic was correct, it would mean that most people would needlessly have to drag weaponry around in their daily lives.
- CWuestefeld 16y ago
  why would you carry a sword or a gun onto a university campus? You don't ask why I'd carry a book, or an MP3 player, or a peanut butter sandwich. Why is it any of your business why I'd carry my sidearm? But to be pedantic: * I'm on the shooting team, going to practice * My boyfriend threatened to kill me * My class project is to engineer a new trigger mechanism * I just like to * etc. What I choose to carry is my own damned business. If I create a danger to others, that's a different story, but simply carrying a gun or a sword poses no more danger than countless other things that we constantly ignore (say, driving). most people would needlessly have to drag weaponry around Not true. First, the guns would have a deterrent effect even if only a non-trivial minority had them. So long as we're creating a good chance that a bad guy will be met with resistance, we're achieving something. It doesn't need to be a certainty. Second, how many people lug around golf clubs in their trunk all the time? And, how many people are permanently attached to their cell phone? Heck, a sidearm is a whole lot smaller than a purse; a woman can just put it into her purse, so what's the big deal?
  - Tichy 16y ago
    I have a good idea why you would carry a book, MP3 player or peanut butter sandwich. Your other reasons are much rarer and some of them even disturbing in itself (boyfriend threatened to kill you - a) you keep bad company, b) you want to defend yourself with a gun). I think you mentioned the peaceful hunting village were everybody carried a knife to the supermarket. How would they look on a Samurai sword, I wonder? You carrying a gun is my business because it endangers me. If I was allergic, maybe you could try to kill me with a peanut butter sandwich, but it would be much more difficult. (I am not only taking about you actively trying to kill me, but accidents or collateral damage). Again, why would you want to carry a gun? It seems likely to me that if I see you with a gun, you have a paranoid or aggressive nature. Maybe if I accidentally cross in front of you in the canteen, you get angry and start a fight? Or if I look at you the wrong way? If you are on the shooting team, you would be kind of excused, but presumably after a while it would be known you are on the team and you would be excused. Nobody calls the cops on a cop carrying a gun, because cops carrying guns is normal behaviour. Carrying guns into a classroom is not.
huhtenberg 16y ago
If one sees a person doing something out of ordinary, such as carrying a weapon where no one else typically carries any, then it is an event requiring attention. If this happens to be the same untypical pattern that led to a bodily harm in the past, then it requires even more attention. That is a common sense. You are arguing that it's a pity that carrying a weapon is now an out of ordinary behavior, which is different and not directly related to the point I was making all along.
balding_n_tired 16y ago
A fellow I was in grad school with said that he regularly took his gun to high school, so that he could go hunting afterwards. He said that the principal would check up with kids--say Dave, you brought your rifle today?--but casually. He went to HS in Alaska, and I'm guessing it was the late 70s or early 80s.

dugmartin 16y ago

My dad brought his muzzleloader to my 4th grade class in 1980 and gave a talk about how it worked and how to pour your own lead balls. I can't imagine what the SWAT team response to that would be today.

Tichy 16y ago

Still, why would you carry a sword or a gun onto a university campus? It seems rather useless, so the environment is right to consider it not normal and hence threatening. Even if your logic was correct, it would mean that most people would needlessly have to drag weaponry around in their daily lives.

CWuestefeld 16y ago
why would you carry a sword or a gun onto a university campus? You don't ask why I'd carry a book, or an MP3 player, or a peanut butter sandwich. Why is it any of your business why I'd carry my sidearm? But to be pedantic: * I'm on the shooting team, going to practice * My boyfriend threatened to kill me * My class project is to engineer a new trigger mechanism * I just like to * etc. What I choose to carry is my own damned business. If I create a danger to others, that's a different story, but simply carrying a gun or a sword poses no more danger than countless other things that we constantly ignore (say, driving). most people would needlessly have to drag weaponry around Not true. First, the guns would have a deterrent effect even if only a non-trivial minority had them. So long as we're creating a good chance that a bad guy will be met with resistance, we're achieving something. It doesn't need to be a certainty. Second, how many people lug around golf clubs in their trunk all the time? And, how many people are permanently attached to their cell phone? Heck, a sidearm is a whole lot smaller than a purse; a woman can just put it into her purse, so what's the big deal?
- Tichy 16y ago
  I have a good idea why you would carry a book, MP3 player or peanut butter sandwich. Your other reasons are much rarer and some of them even disturbing in itself (boyfriend threatened to kill you - a) you keep bad company, b) you want to defend yourself with a gun). I think you mentioned the peaceful hunting village were everybody carried a knife to the supermarket. How would they look on a Samurai sword, I wonder? You carrying a gun is my business because it endangers me. If I was allergic, maybe you could try to kill me with a peanut butter sandwich, but it would be much more difficult. (I am not only taking about you actively trying to kill me, but accidents or collateral damage). Again, why would you want to carry a gun? It seems likely to me that if I see you with a gun, you have a paranoid or aggressive nature. Maybe if I accidentally cross in front of you in the canteen, you get angry and start a fight? Or if I look at you the wrong way? If you are on the shooting team, you would be kind of excused, but presumably after a while it would be known you are on the team and you would be excused. Nobody calls the cops on a cop carrying a gun, because cops carrying guns is normal behaviour. Carrying guns into a classroom is not.

huhtenberg 16y ago

If one sees a person doing something out of ordinary, such as carrying a weapon where no one else typically carries any, then it is an event requiring attention. If this happens to be the same untypical pattern that led to a bodily harm in the past, then it requires even more attention. That is a common sense. You are arguing that it's a pity that carrying a weapon is now an out of ordinary behavior, which is different and not directly related to the point I was making all along.

balding_n_tired 16y ago

A fellow I was in grad school with said that he regularly took his gun to high school, so that he could go hunting afterwards. He said that the principal would check up with kids--say Dave, you brought your rifle today?--but casually. He went to HS in Alaska, and I'm guessing it was the late 70s or early 80s.