4 ms·

Gays with Guns

10 points by Mobil1 4y ago

AnEro 4y ago
That BoJack Horseman episode on gun control is becoming more relevant every day
jfengel 4y ago
I don't see this ending well. Better than the alternative, of not being able to defend yourself. But I'm sure that sooner or later (and probably sooner) we'll get "I thought they were going to shoot me" "Well, I thought they were going to shoot me".
- anigbrowl 4y ago
  True, though a lot of bigots and wannabe tough guys go about flexing on how well armed they are at either the individual or group level, while simultaneously insisting that the possibility of retaliation is the best deterrent. This sort of in-your-face gun advocacy/enthusiasm has become much more pronounced over the last 20 years, unfortunately.
- singleshot_ 4y ago
  In other words, good people on both sides? I’m not sure minorities who are concerned about being pogrommed would one hundred percent agree with your concern as to ambiguity, but I suppose to the extent it exists it would be a problem.
  - jfengel 4y ago
    Just the opposite. Bad people on both sides. Or at least, jumpy, armed people on both sides. As I said, it's better than being the jumpy, unarmed one facing the jumpy, armed one. Most of the jumpy, armed ones currently have nothing to be jumpy about -- which makes them extra jumpy because they're jumpy about everything. And when faced with an actual threat... it's going to be bad.
    - singleshot_ 4y ago
      This gives me a headache but I guess you’re not wrong.
jasmer 4y ago
Guns among the general populace are far more likely to end up being used for crime, suicde and in accidents than anything legit. But - I think guns in the hands of responsible people who have 'credible threat' may actually be net positive. Very few people face real material threats though.
- weakfortress 4y ago
  [dead]
dewfaced 4y ago
“God created men, Col. Colt made them equal,”
webnrrd2k 4y ago
Gun ownership has been tied to race and civil right in the US for a long time. After the Civil War, there were laws passed to prevent black people from owning guns. Gay people and black people have had similar experiences in dealing with hatred and discrimination. In the US, there are a lot of people who own guns, and there are a lot of people who feel that they need to overthrow the government. Maybe not right now, but sometime soon. That was a big undercurrent to the whole Jan 6 insurrection. The fact is that something like half the population is Republican, and half of that believed that Trump had the election stolen from him. So, as a rough estimate, something like 25% of the US population thinks the government is illegitimate. I don't know how many of that population would support a violent overthrow, but it's much greater than zero. So, given all that, what's a regular person to do? I can totally understand why a peaceful, non-insurrectionist would want to own guns. They buy guns to protect themselves from the people who think that they need to overthrow the government.
standardly 4y ago
The late great Zach Fox proclaimed "got a gay shooter with a ruger in his booty shorts" [1] 1. https://youtu.be/Oens-jBVp3U https://youtu.be/Oens-jBVp3U Sorry I didn't have anything insightful to add.
dang 4y ago
Could you please stop posting sensational political/culturewar stories? It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. Also, could you please not change titles like this? HN's title rule says "Please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

10 points by Mobil1 4y ago

That BoJack Horseman episode on gun control is becoming more relevant every day

I don't see this ending well. Better than the alternative, of not being able to defend yourself. But I'm sure that sooner or later (and probably sooner) we'll get "I thought they were going to shoot me" "Well, I thought they were going to shoot me".

anigbrowl 4y ago
True, though a lot of bigots and wannabe tough guys go about flexing on how well armed they are at either the individual or group level, while simultaneously insisting that the possibility of retaliation is the best deterrent. This sort of in-your-face gun advocacy/enthusiasm has become much more pronounced over the last 20 years, unfortunately.
singleshot_ 4y ago
In other words, good people on both sides? I’m not sure minorities who are concerned about being pogrommed would one hundred percent agree with your concern as to ambiguity, but I suppose to the extent it exists it would be a problem.
- jfengel 4y ago
  Just the opposite. Bad people on both sides. Or at least, jumpy, armed people on both sides. As I said, it's better than being the jumpy, unarmed one facing the jumpy, armed one. Most of the jumpy, armed ones currently have nothing to be jumpy about -- which makes them extra jumpy because they're jumpy about everything. And when faced with an actual threat... it's going to be bad.
  - singleshot_ 4y ago
    This gives me a headache but I guess you’re not wrong.

jasmer 4y ago

Guns among the general populace are far more likely to end up being used for crime, suicde and in accidents than anything legit. But - I think guns in the hands of responsible people who have 'credible threat' may actually be net positive. Very few people face real material threats though.

weakfortress 4y ago
[dead]

dewfaced 4y ago

“God created men, Col. Colt made them equal,”

webnrrd2k 4y ago

Gun ownership has been tied to race and civil right in the US for a long time. After the Civil War, there were laws passed to prevent black people from owning guns. Gay people and black people have had similar experiences in dealing with hatred and discrimination. In the US, there are a lot of people who own guns, and there are a lot of people who feel that they need to overthrow the government. Maybe not right now, but sometime soon. That was a big undercurrent to the whole Jan 6 insurrection. The fact is that something like half the population is Republican, and half of that believed that Trump had the election stolen from him. So, as a rough estimate, something like 25% of the US population thinks the government is illegitimate. I don't know how many of that population would support a violent overthrow, but it's much greater than zero. So, given all that, what's a regular person to do? I can totally understand why a peaceful, non-insurrectionist would want to own guns. They buy guns to protect themselves from the people who think that they need to overthrow the government.

standardly 4y ago

The late great Zach Fox proclaimed "got a gay shooter with a ruger in his booty shorts" [1] 1. https://youtu.be/Oens-jBVp3U https://youtu.be/Oens-jBVp3U Sorry I didn't have anything insightful to add.

dang 4y ago

Could you please stop posting sensational political/culturewar stories? It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. Also, could you please not change titles like this? HN's title rule says "Please use the original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don't editorialize." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html