2 ms·

Yeah, having visited a few times I get that the media portrayal of the US being a 21st century Western is off. And I sort of get the idea that "people are much

Yeah, having visited a few times I get that the media portrayal of the US being a 21st century Western is off. And I sort of get the idea that "people are much less likely to start anything if they know most people are carrying". But there's a tacit assumption in there that criminals have guns. For all that legal owners may not be a problem in the vast majority of cases, the more firearms there are, the bigger the pool of firearms there are for criminals to get their hands on. Having read through a few of these responses it seems to boil down to how much US citizens trust their government compared to other countries. The fact that there are federal bodies - such as the army - with enough firepower to flatten a city, yet people insist on carrying guns because they don't trust the government feels a bit off. But I think I'm straying from your point there.

eloff 5y ago
I don't want to go further down a tangent here, but you also see how little Americans trust their government in the number of people reluctant to get vaccinated and the number of people who seriously believe the election was stolen. Both of those examples are mostly right leaning people. But this is also the same group that's most interested in gun rights. Is there similar distrust for the government on the left, if so how does it present? What irrational behaviours do democrats have because they distrust their government - or is distrust of the government mostly focused in the right of the political spectrum?
- Grakel 5y ago
  Wanting to defund the police? Having this opinion and at the same time wanting to ban guns is truly puzzling.
  - eloff 5y ago
    Good example! So mistrust of the government is probably universal in the US and just presents differently on the left and the right. > Having this opinion and at the same time wanting to ban guns is truly puzzling. It's irrational, don't try to apply logic to it. It's a simplistic emotional response.
    - Grakel 5y ago
      That's my view.
  - _nicelaris_ 5y ago
    It's not puzzling if you realize that the motivation is to subvert a society and assert control over it.
Grakel 5y ago
Ask Vietnam or Afghanistan if you can fight off the American military with rifles.

eloff 5y ago

I don't want to go further down a tangent here, but you also see how little Americans trust their government in the number of people reluctant to get vaccinated and the number of people who seriously believe the election was stolen. Both of those examples are mostly right leaning people. But this is also the same group that's most interested in gun rights. Is there similar distrust for the government on the left, if so how does it present? What irrational behaviours do democrats have because they distrust their government - or is distrust of the government mostly focused in the right of the political spectrum?

Grakel 5y ago
Wanting to defund the police? Having this opinion and at the same time wanting to ban guns is truly puzzling.
- eloff 5y ago
  Good example! So mistrust of the government is probably universal in the US and just presents differently on the left and the right. > Having this opinion and at the same time wanting to ban guns is truly puzzling. It's irrational, don't try to apply logic to it. It's a simplistic emotional response.
  - Grakel 5y ago
    That's my view.
- _nicelaris_ 5y ago
  It's not puzzling if you realize that the motivation is to subvert a society and assert control over it.

Grakel 5y ago

Ask Vietnam or Afghanistan if you can fight off the American military with rifles.