[thanksDr]

Canadian here.

Can you imagine how unreasonable this sounds for any other rights?

Try the right to protest: "It's the responsibility of the bandana industry to regulate all protests, and since they have abrogated that responsibility, protestors must forfeit those rights."

[simonh]

Rights are granted by society because they choose to do so. It's a deal. Anyway, answered in more detail elsewhere in the thread.

[akerl_]

It’s not a “deal”. Society didn’t make a wager with some governmental body for free speech, contingent on free speech organizations policing undesirable speech.

The deal metaphor breaks down pretty clearly. If advocates of democracy don’t do enough to curtail voter fraud, society cancels the right to vote? If the auto lobby doesn’t figure out a solution for vehicle deaths, we stop building paved roads? Society as a whole is responsible for finding a way to respect granted rights and balance the risks of exercise of those rights; it’s not incumbent on specific groups to own that, just because they exercise that right.

[simonh]

Speech legislation, including the US constitution, was constructed as a result of deliberation and political horse trading. That’s particularly true of the amendments.

On free speech particularly, what constitutes free speech and what speech is controlled or banned is constantly under review. Free speech advocates exist precisely because of this. If there was no issue around free speech there would be no need for advocates.

Laws around voter fraud are constantly under review. Cancelling all voting is not the only way to address electoral problems. Similarly banning all guns doesn’t have to be the only way to prevent frequent mass shootings.

Or is it? I really don’t know. You tell me. Just as electoral reformers are constantly addressing issues of democracy. As free speech advocates are constantly fighting for open discourse, why shouldn’t gun owners have to argue for and justify their privileges?

So what solution to mass killings and gun deaths do you propose? Just like anyone else exercising a right, you can legitimately be expected to justify it. Please do so.

[thanksDr]

Please stop equating rights with privileges.