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There are all sorts of things you could say about guns. There's only one thing that matters.

There are all sorts of things you could say about guns. There's only one thing that matters. | Almost every Second Amendment supporter is practiced in the art of drawing meaningless distinctions. They like to separate mass shootings and routine gun violence. They like to distinguish intentional gun homicides, suicides, and accidents. They try to make hay out of places you can legally carry guns and places you can't. They wax eloquent about the various types of rifles. shotguns, and handguns. They'll debate to exhaustion the precise definition of an "assault rifle." They'll claim that actually, the proper term is "modern sporting rifle." They'll deflect away to topics like mental illness and poverty, or they'll simply say our country "needs more Jesus." They'll start bringing up hammers and knives (despite such implements being responsible for far less death). Or they'll steer the discussion into sheer racism. What's the common denominator? Every single talking point only serves to obscure the main issue, which is this: Our country is awash in guns of every type. As a result, they're inevitably used to kill and maim in all sorts of different settings, for all sorts of reasons. A simple comparison chart makes this point bluntly. All of our rich-world peer countries - *all* of them - manage their gun problem much better than we do. Remarkably, some of our peers have succeeded in nearly eliminating gun deaths from their society completely. There is no talking around the fact that America's approach to guns is uniquely bad. All that's left for us to decide is whether 40,000+ gun deaths per year is a price we'd like to continue to pay. | image tagged in mass shooting cycle,gun deaths by country american journal of medicine,guns,gun violence,gun deaths,mass shootings | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
14 Comments
Octavia_Melody
5 ups, 2y,
2 replies
Don't Japan and Korea outlaw guns entirely?
Slobama M
8 ups, 2y
Japan gun control | image tagged in japan gun control | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
Interestingly, they don't.

Yes, their regulations are strict, resulting in very few guns in circulation among civilians - but if you want one, and can demonstrate competence and mental fitness, you can get one.

I actually love pointing that out because it shows that you don't have to ban guns entirely to see magnificent results. It debunks the right-wing lie that liberals just want to confiscate and destroy every gun on earth.

https://news.yahoo.com/japan-gun-laws-worked-well-100243036.html

It doesn't take very much creative lawyering at all to argue that Japan-style regulations fit within a "well-regulated militia" as envisioned by our Founders. What we have today - with routine gun violence every day and mass shootings every week - is so obviously not a "well-regulated militia" that it's criminal.
Slobama M
5 ups, 2y,
1 reply
bruh | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
Here's another way of visualizing the difference in the two arguments here.

--Conservatives (left panel) play up every kind of difference in order to blame circumstances rather than the gun.
--Liberals (right panel) make the obvious point that every gun death involves a gun.

I will be bipartisan now and say: Both sides have a point!

A harmonious and effective gun regulation system would attack *both sides* of this equation. Yes, address poverty. Yes, reduce incentives to traffic drugs, and thus sap away the motivations for gang-related violence. Yes, treat mental illness. Yes, provide suicide hotlines. Yes, invest in deradicalization programs that might deprogram violent extremists before they commit mass murders. Yes, expand job opportunities. Yes, bolster our welfare system. Yes, reform our police practices to reduce the likelihood and severity of fatal police encounters. These are all self-evidently beneficial things to do.

But also: Regulate. The. Damn. Guns.

The irony is: liberals/Democrats *want* to address all the social ills that can cause gun violence - *and also* regulate guns better. And conservatives/Republicans, for all their rhetorical posturing about "circumstances," want to do neither. They defund and disparage the social programs I just mentioned at every opportunity. And they expand the freedom to purchase and carry guns wherever they can.

Result? Well, we already know the result.
Octavia_Melody
7 ups, 2y,
1 reply
No lies detected | "LIBERALS/DEMOCRATS *WANT* TO ADDRESS ALL THE SOCIAL ILLS THAT CAN CAUSE GUN VIOLENCE - *AND ALSO* REGULATE GUNS BETTER. AND CONSERVATIVES/R | image tagged in no lies detected | made w/ Imgflip meme maker
BedfordGuy
5 ups, 2y
Indeed. You can't claim to be tough on crime if you're soft on guns.
Cerebrophage M
5 ups, 2y,
2 replies
Octavia_Melody
2 ups, 2y
Sounds like this universe
Lyoll M
1 up, 2y
And they'd be willing to do that EVERY YEAR.
AlaskaNativeManitou M
1 up, 2y
After notable shootings in Oregon the last few years, we used the recent election to pass a gun control measure. Now there are gun worshippers suing in federal courts to stop it, & sheriffs publicly bragging that they won't enforce it.
[deleted]
1 up, 2y,
2 replies
Sooo. I love guns. I think they are cool. I think there should be common sense gun safety regulations. There should be better mental health resources. There should be more left wing gun advocates. I don’t hunt. I like sportsmanship and target practice. I’m against violence. I think people are crazy.I believe there are too many guns. I think you must be prepared to defend yourself and your family. That’s why I have one. Am I alone on this?
Slobama M
1 up, 2y,
1 reply
I do think most European countries basically follow that approach. Civilians can have guns if they are willing to jump through some hoops and meet certain criteria, but guns aren't handed out like candy.
[deleted]
1 up, 2y
America has a manic gun culture. In other countries it seems crazy to have a gun. Here In America it’s crazy to not have one. 🙏
Cerebrophage M
2 ups, 2y,
1 reply
There are left wing advocates on this. My family has heirlooms, we like to shoot as a hobby for fun. The irony is that the right wing says "mental health background checks!" The irony is that to call for mental health background checks, you need to understand how mental health works first. You can't just do one check at the time of purchase and call it good. Traumatic events happen to people post purchase. I mean, there's a slew of other issues surrounding gun laws, I am in favor of mental health checks, but they should be done yearly if not every other year. Watch Gun owners clutch pearls over that. They want the gun but no responsibility. I keep an Anaconda .44 in my house. Why? Because it's loud, it's intimidating and it's f**king awesome. Great for scaring predatory wild life as well. It also follows my policy on moderation with bullets. You don't need a magazine. You can solve nearly any sudden situation with six bullets. If there are more than six guys, you wouldn't make it to your 3-4th without getting shot anyway.
[deleted]
2 ups, 2y
A .44 Anaconda is an awesome gun. The interesting thing about the mental health issue is that Congress blames mental health and not guns for shootings, but they don’t do anything about that either. And it seems more like a right wing mental health issue if you ask me. Just a couple things that don’t make sense. I’ve got some family members who are left leaning gun advocates, I won’t mention who they are because I don’t want anyone to identify me, but we are out there. Thanks for responding to my comment.🙏
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  • Gun deaths by country American Journal of Medicine
    • IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
    Almost every Second Amendment supporter is practiced in the art of drawing meaningless distinctions. They like to separate mass shootings and routine gun violence. They like to distinguish intentional gun homicides, suicides, and accidents. They try to make hay out of places you can legally carry guns and places you can't. They wax eloquent about the various types of rifles. shotguns, and handguns. They'll debate to exhaustion the precise definition of an "assault rifle." They'll claim that actually, the proper term is "modern sporting rifle." They'll deflect away to topics like mental illness and poverty, or they'll simply say our country "needs more Jesus." They'll start bringing up hammers and knives (despite such implements being responsible for far less death). Or they'll steer the discussion into sheer racism. What's the common denominator? Every single talking point only serves to obscure the main issue, which is this: Our country is awash in guns of every type. As a result, they're inevitably used to kill and maim in all sorts of different settings, for all sorts of reasons. A simple comparison chart makes this point bluntly. All of our rich-world peer countries - *all* of them - manage their gun problem much better than we do. Remarkably, some of our peers have succeeded in nearly eliminating gun deaths from their society completely. There is no talking around the fact that America's approach to guns is uniquely bad. All that's left for us to decide is whether 40,000+ gun deaths per year is a price we'd like to continue to pay.