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Americans kill each other with guns because guns are cheap and plentiful, not because grenades are scarce. If guns were as scarce as frag grenades then it woul

by Teever 3y ago

Americans kill each other with guns because guns are cheap and plentiful, not because grenades are scarce. If guns were as scarce as frag grenades then it would be a competition between which one is more effective at killing and the availability wouldn't factor into the weapon choice at all. What you're telling me is that slaughterbots will be armed with guns that shoot bullets, not fragementation grenades.

margalabargala 3y ago
Well, it's a bit more than that. People kill each other with whatever they have close at hand when they get into a fight; handguns are easily carried into a bar or on the street, which is why more people are killed with handguns than long rifles in America despite more of the latter existing. People aren't going to start carrying drones with propellers around in their pockets. It could be used by some people who want to do targeted killings, e.g. in gang violence, where it could be better than other methods maybe. But on the other hand, RC helicopters able to carry and shoot a gun have existed since at least 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCH1492CzA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCH1492CzA The number of people who actually want to kill lots of people without being physically present is extremely small; so small that in a country the size of the US, one only crops up every couple decades, e.g. Timothy McVeigh. I would make a solid bet that proliferation of cheap drones does not impact the homicide or terrorism rate in the US in either direction.
jncfhnb 3y ago
Grenades are low precision weapons that are relatively safe to use. Guns are high precision but very difficult to use in a firefight. If you watch Ukraine footage, soldiers barely even look where they’re shooting. They’re just trying to establish suppression over an area so that they can toss more grenades to kill people. That’s because both sides have guns. If you aren’t fighting an armed combatant to the death. The calculus changes a lot.
qup 3y ago
And that's already on display, too. https://youtu.be/NS1KFmFw2Dw?t=295 https://youtu.be/NS1KFmFw2Dw?t=295 (Video shows airsoft players using a standard FPV drone with an actuator to press a trigger, and the guy flies around the field getting "kills" and it looks incredibly effective (partly due to no recoil, but .22LR exists))

by Teever 3y ago

margalabargala 3y ago

Well, it's a bit more than that. People kill each other with whatever they have close at hand when they get into a fight; handguns are easily carried into a bar or on the street, which is why more people are killed with handguns than long rifles in America despite more of the latter existing. People aren't going to start carrying drones with propellers around in their pockets. It could be used by some people who want to do targeted killings, e.g. in gang violence, where it could be better than other methods maybe. But on the other hand, RC helicopters able to carry and shoot a gun have existed since at least 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCH1492CzA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCH1492CzA The number of people who actually want to kill lots of people without being physically present is extremely small; so small that in a country the size of the US, one only crops up every couple decades, e.g. Timothy McVeigh. I would make a solid bet that proliferation of cheap drones does not impact the homicide or terrorism rate in the US in either direction.

jncfhnb 3y ago

Grenades are low precision weapons that are relatively safe to use. Guns are high precision but very difficult to use in a firefight. If you watch Ukraine footage, soldiers barely even look where they’re shooting. They’re just trying to establish suppression over an area so that they can toss more grenades to kill people. That’s because both sides have guns. If you aren’t fighting an armed combatant to the death. The calculus changes a lot.

qup 3y ago

And that's already on display, too. https://youtu.be/NS1KFmFw2Dw?t=295 https://youtu.be/NS1KFmFw2Dw?t=295 (Video shows airsoft players using a standard FPV drone with an actuator to press a trigger, and the guy flies around the field getting "kills" and it looks incredibly effective (partly due to no recoil, but .22LR exists))