3 ms·

Wouldn't a better long-term solution be to deal with the underlying causes of the rampant crime? You can arm everyone, but that won't actually stop crime, just

by glesica 11y ago

Wouldn't a better long-term solution be to deal with the underlying causes of the rampant crime? You can arm everyone, but that won't actually stop crime, just move it somewhere else or force it to evolve. I mean, in the extreme the thieves could just ambush and kill / severely wound you before you had a chance to draw your gun. An arms race is never the answer. Of course dealing with crime intelligently would involve a lot of tough questions about our economy and society, so I can certainly see how it is easier to just hand everyone a gun and call it a day. But I think we should at least advocate for a real solution.

bicx 11y ago
I'm all for a real solution, but in the meantime, I would rather not be considered an ideal target due to my school's policies. If I had the option to carry a gun as a college student, at least that would put me on par with other people in the city. I wouldn't even really need to carry a gun; the mere fact that criminals no longer consider me a guaranteed soft target would be an improvement.
JoeAltmaier 11y ago
Folks don't risk death for an iPhone. Crime would be diminished, this is clear from statistics. Its not an arms race, because the criminals' survival is not at stake, just some ready cash. This was illustrated by the drastic drop in crime when cocaine became much cheaper - nobody was willing to get killed for it any more. However the citizens' survival IS at stake. Folks often argue that the threat of capital punishment doesn't work. Of course it does, criminals are using it every day. We just need to reverse that social pressure.
jboggan 11y ago
Criminals aren't brave. They tend to flow downhill like water and find the weakest, least resistant person to target. During the occasion that someone attempted to rob me they had their gun out first and ready - yet when I went to draw my legally carried firearm they turned and fled immediately. They don't want a fight when they can just wait five minutes and find someone who won't. I completely agree about addressing the underlying problems with crime. There's an immense spectrum of thought on how to do that, some policies are actually retrograde in practice, and in the meantime until utopia is realized I have to go about my life. An arms race is the answer because the people who are in the greatest need of protecting will be able to use arms - technology - to address the issue of their own relative frailty. If my 69 year old osteoarthritic mother is threatened by a criminal because he likes the shade of her Camry she isn't going to pontificate root causes, she's going to produce the Airweight revolver from her console and I guarantee you her aim is much better than a thug's.

by glesica 11y ago

bicx 11y ago

I'm all for a real solution, but in the meantime, I would rather not be considered an ideal target due to my school's policies. If I had the option to carry a gun as a college student, at least that would put me on par with other people in the city. I wouldn't even really need to carry a gun; the mere fact that criminals no longer consider me a guaranteed soft target would be an improvement.

JoeAltmaier 11y ago

Folks don't risk death for an iPhone. Crime would be diminished, this is clear from statistics. Its not an arms race, because the criminals' survival is not at stake, just some ready cash. This was illustrated by the drastic drop in crime when cocaine became much cheaper - nobody was willing to get killed for it any more. However the citizens' survival IS at stake. Folks often argue that the threat of capital punishment doesn't work. Of course it does, criminals are using it every day. We just need to reverse that social pressure.

jboggan 11y ago

Criminals aren't brave. They tend to flow downhill like water and find the weakest, least resistant person to target. During the occasion that someone attempted to rob me they had their gun out first and ready - yet when I went to draw my legally carried firearm they turned and fled immediately. They don't want a fight when they can just wait five minutes and find someone who won't. I completely agree about addressing the underlying problems with crime. There's an immense spectrum of thought on how to do that, some policies are actually retrograde in practice, and in the meantime until utopia is realized I have to go about my life. An arms race is the answer because the people who are in the greatest need of protecting will be able to use arms - technology - to address the issue of their own relative frailty. If my 69 year old osteoarthritic mother is threatened by a criminal because he likes the shade of her Camry she isn't going to pontificate root causes, she's going to produce the Airweight revolver from her console and I guarantee you her aim is much better than a thug's.