5 ms·

Well, yes, they do it because they know the population is not armed.

by goshx 8y ago

lhorie 8y ago
Not really, they do it because they know can get away with it. I've heard horror stories of people that got attacked by like 7 guys holding assault rifles when the wife was pulling into the garage. Your safety magnum in the bedroom isn't gonna do anything for you in that case, and chances are they are just gonna steal it from you if they find it. Also, a lot of robberies happen on the streets. A middle-class person open-carrying a gun is just going to be a pickpocket target, and concealed carry is going to be vulnerable to two-team robbers (one approaches you, the hidden one shoots you from the back if you fight back). In a favela, the drug gang would probably just raid your house and steal your gun, if you could even afford one. Or, more likely, your kid would end up joining the gang.
- goshx 8y ago
  It’s not a dichotomy. Both are reasons why they do it.
- MrEfficiency 8y ago
  If you dont think having guns would change this situation, you are oblivious.
  - lhorie 8y ago
    I never said guns would not change the situation, but I do believe they would make things worse. When was the last time you've heard of a gun-wielding vigilante saving the day in the US? Was he in his car with his family getting robbed by 3 teenagers at a stop light? I lived in Brazil and I've been robbed and I've witnessed people being shot in gang fights, and I don't see how having a gun on me would've helped, so forgive me if I'm cynical of armchair vigilantism.
    - malandrew 8y ago
      This happened in Brazil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VThEm-UhFIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VThEm-UhFIs I suspect that the reason you don't hear about a "gun-wielding vigilante saving the day in the US" has more to do with the media sources you consume. Here is a scholarly article detailing how common defensive gun use is in the United States: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=6853&context=jclc https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewconten... Estimates range from 100,000 to 2.5 million. Even at the very very low end of those estimates, there are at least 100,000 instances of a "gun-wielding vigilante saving the day in the US" every year that you never hear about. I also suspect it's hard to understand how a gun would have helped you when you don't know how to use a gun, which I suspect is the case given your position on guns from this thread. It's entirely possible for the average citizen to acquire the same firearm training as a police officer or soldier and therefore be capable of providing the same level of protection.
      - lhorie 8y ago
        I could also show a bunch of cases where someone reacted and died. We could be cherrypicking stories to the end of times, even. At the end of the day, while it's easy to say you yourself could've protected yourself (because macho power amirite?), it takes borderline sociopathic composition for someone to say with a straight face that their mother should not only carry a gun but also react to a robbery and shoot a living person if the situation calls for it. > It's entirely possible for the average citizen The average salary in Brazil is like $700 per month. You'd have to be quite privileged indeed to be able to afford something as extravagant as shooting classes.
        malandrew 8y ago
        People earning $700 a month aren't the people who are getting mugged on a regular basis. You can't even pull out your cell phone in many places. Furthermore, I didn't even advocate for someone's mother to carry again. That's a weak strawman. I'm advocating for responsible citizens to be allowed to purchase a gun for self defense. Not everyone needs one. The overwhelming majority don't need one and shouldn't be carrying one. Just a small minority of responsible gun owners that take time to train themselves in how to use their firearm would go a long way to acting as a deterrent. Register them. Require training. Whatever is necessary to ensure responsible people can carry them or at least keep them in their own home. Many of my friends have been robbed at gunpoint in Brazil, including my girlfriend who was robbed about 1-2 years ago. The situation is completely out of control. Here's another one from Brazil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S7SPrb6oj4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S7SPrb6oj4 This kind of defensive gun use should be permitted. Também, pare de tentar me educar sobre o meu próprio país.

Well, yes, they do it because they know the population is not armed.

by goshx 8y ago

Well, yes, they do it because they know the population is not armed.

Not really, they do it because they know can get away with it. I've heard horror stories of people that got attacked by like 7 guys holding assault rifles when the wife was pulling into the garage. Your safety magnum in the bedroom isn't gonna do anything for you in that case, and chances are they are just gonna steal it from you if they find it. Also, a lot of robberies happen on the streets. A middle-class person open-carrying a gun is just going to be a pickpocket target, and concealed carry is going to be vulnerable to two-team robbers (one approaches you, the hidden one shoots you from the back if you fight back). In a favela, the drug gang would probably just raid your house and steal your gun, if you could even afford one. Or, more likely, your kid would end up joining the gang.

goshx 8y ago
It’s not a dichotomy. Both are reasons why they do it.
MrEfficiency 8y ago
If you dont think having guns would change this situation, you are oblivious.
- lhorie 8y ago
  I never said guns would not change the situation, but I do believe they would make things worse. When was the last time you've heard of a gun-wielding vigilante saving the day in the US? Was he in his car with his family getting robbed by 3 teenagers at a stop light? I lived in Brazil and I've been robbed and I've witnessed people being shot in gang fights, and I don't see how having a gun on me would've helped, so forgive me if I'm cynical of armchair vigilantism.
  - malandrew 8y ago
    This happened in Brazil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VThEm-UhFIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VThEm-UhFIs I suspect that the reason you don't hear about a "gun-wielding vigilante saving the day in the US" has more to do with the media sources you consume. Here is a scholarly article detailing how common defensive gun use is in the United States: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=6853&context=jclc https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewconten... Estimates range from 100,000 to 2.5 million. Even at the very very low end of those estimates, there are at least 100,000 instances of a "gun-wielding vigilante saving the day in the US" every year that you never hear about. I also suspect it's hard to understand how a gun would have helped you when you don't know how to use a gun, which I suspect is the case given your position on guns from this thread. It's entirely possible for the average citizen to acquire the same firearm training as a police officer or soldier and therefore be capable of providing the same level of protection.
    - lhorie 8y ago
      I could also show a bunch of cases where someone reacted and died. We could be cherrypicking stories to the end of times, even. At the end of the day, while it's easy to say you yourself could've protected yourself (because macho power amirite?), it takes borderline sociopathic composition for someone to say with a straight face that their mother should not only carry a gun but also react to a robbery and shoot a living person if the situation calls for it. > It's entirely possible for the average citizen The average salary in Brazil is like $700 per month. You'd have to be quite privileged indeed to be able to afford something as extravagant as shooting classes.
      - malandrew 8y ago
        People earning $700 a month aren't the people who are getting mugged on a regular basis. You can't even pull out your cell phone in many places. Furthermore, I didn't even advocate for someone's mother to carry again. That's a weak strawman. I'm advocating for responsible citizens to be allowed to purchase a gun for self defense. Not everyone needs one. The overwhelming majority don't need one and shouldn't be carrying one. Just a small minority of responsible gun owners that take time to train themselves in how to use their firearm would go a long way to acting as a deterrent. Register them. Require training. Whatever is necessary to ensure responsible people can carry them or at least keep them in their own home. Many of my friends have been robbed at gunpoint in Brazil, including my girlfriend who was robbed about 1-2 years ago. The situation is completely out of control. Here's another one from Brazil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S7SPrb6oj4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S7SPrb6oj4 This kind of defensive gun use should be permitted. Também, pare de tentar me educar sobre o meu próprio país.