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It's true that most of the gun deaths (about 2/3) are suicides. If you do some research on that though, I think you'll find significant evidence that it's not actually true most of those people would have found another way to do it. There are varying degrees and durations of suicidal intent, and a major factor of whether someone follows through is access to means. So although it's certainly a reasonable assumption that a suicidal person would just find other means if they didn't have a gun, the evidence shows that access to guns really does make a big difference to suicide rates. I absolutely hear you that tyranny does happen, and is sometimes horrible. I would point to the Chinese persecution of their Uyghur population currently. However, when you multiply the odds of something like that happening in a country like the US, times the odds that an armed rebellion would be successful, times the odds that such an event would save more lives than it took (certainly many people would die in an armed overthrow of the US government), the combined probability is certainly small. Then comparing that to the lives that sensible gun laws would save every year, it seems hard not to support some kind of structure. Often, yes, giving up freedom is dangerous. But society can't exist with 100% freedom either, because one person's freedom must be balanced against another's rights. There are already many things we agree that people can't do in a civilized society because the harm to others outweighs the infringement on personal freedoms. For instance, we need to accept property rights. As mentioned, we need licensing to drive a vehicle. We are required to pay taxes so that common services can be funded. Some oversight on gun ownership seems, to me, a sensible part of that list. Of course, that's not to say that increased security for decreased freedom is always good; it depends on the particulars of the case. Edit: btw I absolutely understand the desire to be prepared for extreme events. I have several months of food and supplies stored in case the big west coast earthquake or another disaster hits. I can understand people's desire to own guns for protection, although I don't myself. I don't believe that any of that needs to conflict with sensible laws around registration, licensing, and safe use. |
TIL about this. Thanks.