3 ms·

I think you would want to factor in to your gut feel the deterrent effect conferred by the increased likelihood that possible victim targets are armed even if t

by mhb 3y ago

I think you would want to factor in to your gut feel the deterrent effect conferred by the increased likelihood that possible victim targets are armed even if they aren't.

myrmidon 3y ago
This is not necessarily net positive. Increased gun prevalence is a strong incentive to escalate (and by "escalate" I mean someone getting killed in a situation where it would not be necessary or helpful for ANYONE involved), even if only one party is armed. It does not even matter which "side": Police, criminals and victims are all more likely to fire because of perceived threat (compared to nations where it is vanishingly unlikely for anyone to be armed with a firearm).