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Ask HN: Do you think this can be a good analogy for gun control?

by jkw 8y ago

beat 8y ago
In large parts of the world, the idea of "self defense" guns is considered barbaric and absurd. And the high rate of violent crime in the US reflects that relative barbarism. There are places in the world where keeping a full-auto Kalishnikov at home is considered normal. They're much more violent than the US is.
- lettergram 8y ago
  Switzerland has a large population with guns (I don’t recall if it’s more or on par with the US). They also are not barbaric by any standard. Guns aren’t really for self defense, so much as self direction. If Trump decided he wanted to make an executive order forcefully sending people to retention centers... you don’t think those guns would come in handy? It’s the last line of defense. This is different than the knives which were literally part of every meal. Most people keep their guns in their home, often locked
  - pcardh0 8y ago
    You mean like with FDR and the Japanese?
contingencies 8y ago
Yes. First point is it's culturally less obtuse because it's a western frame of reference. Second, it's historic fact. More interestingly, they adapted the tools toward peaceful uses making carrying them frowned upon in public. While the same has been considered before for guns, eg. a smart gun which only chambers a round or fires when in a designated recreational shooting zone, time or season, or when pointing in the right direction, etc. ... the reality is that clawing 100s of 1000s of firearms out of the general US public is not going to happen.
- CapitalistCartr 8y ago
  The USA has on the high side of 300 million privately held guns.
  - contingencies 8y ago
    Haha, hundreds of millions then. And I guess that's just the registered ones...
  - solidsnack9000 8y ago
    In light of that statistic, maybe civilian gun ownership is just not that dangerous after all.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
solidsnack9000 8y ago
There are other factors involved, not relevant to gun control in the United States (or any other country). There aren't a lot of public environments where one draws and uses a gun, without that being the essential purpose of the event, with injunctions towards due caution being made over and over. Gun ranges are pretty strict about eating, drinking and making merry on the premises. Eating knives were brandished casually and in the presence of alcohol.

Ask HN: Do you think this can be a good analogy for gun control?

by jkw 8y ago

Ask HN: Do you think this can be a good analogy for gun control?

beat 8y ago

In large parts of the world, the idea of "self defense" guns is considered barbaric and absurd. And the high rate of violent crime in the US reflects that relative barbarism. There are places in the world where keeping a full-auto Kalishnikov at home is considered normal. They're much more violent than the US is.

lettergram 8y ago
Switzerland has a large population with guns (I don’t recall if it’s more or on par with the US). They also are not barbaric by any standard. Guns aren’t really for self defense, so much as self direction. If Trump decided he wanted to make an executive order forcefully sending people to retention centers... you don’t think those guns would come in handy? It’s the last line of defense. This is different than the knives which were literally part of every meal. Most people keep their guns in their home, often locked
- pcardh0 8y ago
  You mean like with FDR and the Japanese?

contingencies 8y ago

Yes. First point is it's culturally less obtuse because it's a western frame of reference. Second, it's historic fact. More interestingly, they adapted the tools toward peaceful uses making carrying them frowned upon in public. While the same has been considered before for guns, eg. a smart gun which only chambers a round or fires when in a designated recreational shooting zone, time or season, or when pointing in the right direction, etc. ... the reality is that clawing 100s of 1000s of firearms out of the general US public is not going to happen.

CapitalistCartr 8y ago
The USA has on the high side of 300 million privately held guns.
- contingencies 8y ago
  Haha, hundreds of millions then. And I guess that's just the registered ones...
- solidsnack9000 8y ago
  In light of that statistic, maybe civilian gun ownership is just not that dangerous after all.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]

solidsnack9000 8y ago

There are other factors involved, not relevant to gun control in the United States (or any other country). There aren't a lot of public environments where one draws and uses a gun, without that being the essential purpose of the event, with injunctions towards due caution being made over and over. Gun ranges are pretty strict about eating, drinking and making merry on the premises. Eating knives were brandished casually and in the presence of alcohol.