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The gun issue is actually fairly interesting if you compare, say, 1975 USA vs 1990 USA vs 2023 USA. Access to guns isn't particularly different. So, something changed. It's not say that 350 million guns (or whatever the number is) isn't an issue. That's easy to acknowledge. But, there is ALSO something else going on -- I dunno if it's the Columbine Effect or not (for real, honest-to-goodness mass shootings).
In any event, it's easy to acknowledge that massive amounts of guns are a problem in the US while also:
(a) pointing out that, unlike other countries, the US actually has a Constitional right to access guns;
(b) arguing that the answer to bad people doing bad shit isn't to penalize good people. There were roughly 10,000 drunk driving deaths last year and roughly 13,000 gun homicides. We certainly aren't going to take away your car -- well, electric car! And the right to a car isn't even constitutionally proteted. We're going to punish the wrongdoers; and
(c) the question will always remain -- identify and prove up the problem, propose a solution, prove up that the solution materially redresses the problem.
So, for people like CGVT and the Progs, (a) blocks their true desire. They can't confiscate all guns and prohibit further gun ownership. They can, of course, punish good people by making it more onerous for them to own firearms while, of course, not punishing bad people who illegally own firearms. Per (b), I would argue that's not a real solution. Or, they could propose a solution per the framework in (c). That's the best answer. But that's not what we'll ever get.
Instead, we'll get gang shootouts are the same as school shootings or, even better, gang shootouts with only wounded people are the same as school shootings. And for a solution we'll get ban all guns which, of course, is a per se non-starter so it is, in effect, a totally unserious, fake proposal. Anything to avoid doing the hard work of (c).
In any event, it's easy to acknowledge that massive amounts of guns are a problem in the US while also:
(a) pointing out that, unlike other countries, the US actually has a Constitional right to access guns;
(b) arguing that the answer to bad people doing bad shit isn't to penalize good people. There were roughly 10,000 drunk driving deaths last year and roughly 13,000 gun homicides. We certainly aren't going to take away your car -- well, electric car! And the right to a car isn't even constitutionally proteted. We're going to punish the wrongdoers; and
(c) the question will always remain -- identify and prove up the problem, propose a solution, prove up that the solution materially redresses the problem.
So, for people like CGVT and the Progs, (a) blocks their true desire. They can't confiscate all guns and prohibit further gun ownership. They can, of course, punish good people by making it more onerous for them to own firearms while, of course, not punishing bad people who illegally own firearms. Per (b), I would argue that's not a real solution. Or, they could propose a solution per the framework in (c). That's the best answer. But that's not what we'll ever get.
Instead, we'll get gang shootouts are the same as school shootings or, even better, gang shootouts with only wounded people are the same as school shootings. And for a solution we'll get ban all guns which, of course, is a per se non-starter so it is, in effect, a totally unserious, fake proposal. Anything to avoid doing the hard work of (c).
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