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The US has a large subset of the population who strongly believe that civilian gun ownership is an effective deterrent to government tyranny. Whether this is t

The US has a large subset of the population who strongly believe that civilian gun ownership is an effective deterrent to government tyranny. Whether this is true in fact is irrelevant, the perception is what matters. These people are not ever going to be convinced by body count, because their highest ideal is the idea of liberty.

dylanhassinger 4y ago
Alternate view, they actually just like violence. Their highest ideal is being a threat to people who disagree with them (or children)
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  That is plausible. It can definitely be argued that the segment of the population most vocally in favor the second amendment are the same people most likely to be pro-law enforcement, which reduces the credibility of the tyranny argument.
  - Darrengineer 4y ago
    I typically see pro-law enforcement as being compatible with anti-tyranny argument, both in people I know and logically. Most police are able to function relatively independently from actual government control. There's often wide discretion on how police enforce (or don't) laws, and my understanding of the law is that police have no obligation to protect people from crimes at all, if they so choose. Similarly, people commonly 'support the troops' yet distrust 'the government' entirely. It's a bizarre duality (to me) but very common.
    - AnimalMuppet 4y ago
      Taking their position at face value: If I'm in favor of freedom, then I'm in favor of the military, to keep us free from foreign domination. I'm in favor of the police, because in practical terms I'm more free if I don't have to worry about being robbed on the street or murdered in my home. And I'm in favor of private gun ownership, so that the citizens can put up a fight against the government if the government ever descends into tyranny. Note well: In this post, I am not saying that such a position is right, or even sane - merely that it's consistent.

dylanhassinger 4y ago

Alternate view, they actually just like violence. Their highest ideal is being a threat to people who disagree with them (or children)

rootusrootus 4y ago
That is plausible. It can definitely be argued that the segment of the population most vocally in favor the second amendment are the same people most likely to be pro-law enforcement, which reduces the credibility of the tyranny argument.
- Darrengineer 4y ago
  I typically see pro-law enforcement as being compatible with anti-tyranny argument, both in people I know and logically. Most police are able to function relatively independently from actual government control. There's often wide discretion on how police enforce (or don't) laws, and my understanding of the law is that police have no obligation to protect people from crimes at all, if they so choose. Similarly, people commonly 'support the troops' yet distrust 'the government' entirely. It's a bizarre duality (to me) but very common.
  - AnimalMuppet 4y ago
    Taking their position at face value: If I'm in favor of freedom, then I'm in favor of the military, to keep us free from foreign domination. I'm in favor of the police, because in practical terms I'm more free if I don't have to worry about being robbed on the street or murdered in my home. And I'm in favor of private gun ownership, so that the citizens can put up a fight against the government if the government ever descends into tyranny. Note well: In this post, I am not saying that such a position is right, or even sane - merely that it's consistent.