How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S. • Hacker News Board

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#101

Post by HaZeust » Fri, Jun 05, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

soco wrote: post #88

constantius wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can describe myself in the same way as you, and yet, if I lived in a country where ownership is allowed, I'd always vote to keep it so, even without having the intention of owning a weapon myself, because otherwise the balance of power shifts too much in the favour of the State/ruling class. I disagree with the sibling comments about defending the country against an invader (if your country is facing invasion, weap…

This is the first use case for firearms I can understand. I hate it, I hate even that we have to have this discussion in a so-called civilized world, but here we are, and I understand it.

The world first becomes civilized when groups and bodies of people have tensioned, proportional leverage against one another - lest there's low incentive for the naturally more leveraging group to engage in virtuous action. Of course, we see it time and time again where both governments AND people use the leverages vested upon them in functionally incorrect or anti-social ways, but it is the closest to an equilibrium between two perpetually-unwieldy groups (governments, the governed)

In a nutshell, the tension of existential leverage that the government has on you through their monopoly on violence is thereby "equally" leveraged by your right to own firearms - and the implicit extralegal right to use it against them - in an unjust event. And a government SHOULD be perpetually worried for when you'd eventually consider something "unjust" enough for you to exercise that right - as it creates a chilling effect for them to even attempt it.

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#102

Post by alistairSH » Fri, Jun 05, 2026, 5:57 PM UTC

Glyptodon wrote: post #73

alistairSH wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t there a massive body of research that indicates gun ownership is less safe on average that non-ownership? Ie the chance of accidental shooting of family/friends is high enough to offset any benefit (on average across the US)?

The problem I have with "safetyism" is it comes across as something you can say about cars, knives, power tools, skis, hang gliders, and so many other things. Like do I buy that even though ski deaths are lower in non-skiing households, just like gun deaths are in non shooting ones, that it's less impactful and important than the same effect with guns? Sure. But it's also a conversation that is soooo patronizing in a…

The big difference in my mind is guns are intentionally dangerous. They were made to kill first, sporting applications are all secondary.

Or, to flip your argument, if guns are fine, why not grenades or bazookas or battleships?

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#103

Post by yeetawayhn » Fri, Jun 05, 2026, 6:17 PM UTC

Valodim wrote: post #78

It's kind of amazing how many comments even here seem to implicitly or explicitly agree that the "optimal" number is more than zero. Personally, I rather enjoy not having my kids shot at school.

It's kind of amazing how we can find countries with more than zero but still don't have kids shot at school.

How peculiar.

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#104

Post by yeetawayhn » Fri, Jun 05, 2026, 6:22 PM UTC

elnatro wrote: post #99

potsandpans wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

No country allow private citizens owning guns but America, because they can’t understand the 2nd amendment.

> No country allow private citizens owning guns but America

This is blatantly false.

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#105

Post by yeetawayhn » Fri, Jun 05, 2026, 6:27 PM UTC

Glyptodon wrote: post #73

alistairSH wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn’t there a massive body of research that indicates gun ownership is less safe on average that non-ownership? Ie the chance of accidental shooting of family/friends is high enough to offset any benefit (on average across the US)?

The problem I have with "safetyism" is it comes across as something you can say about cars, knives, power tools, skis, hang gliders, and so many other things. Like do I buy that even though ski deaths are lower in non-skiing households, just like gun deaths are in non shooting ones, that it's less impactful and important than the same effect with guns? Sure. But it's also a conversation that is soooo patronizing in a…

> Like do we focus on enabling safe storage and mental health safety with guns or making it harder? On making kids and families more knowledgeable and safer around guns or just amping up the anxiety and fear?

The only way to move forward is through good faith efforts of the former and stopping the lobby groups from doing the latter.

Power tools are intentionally dangerous too. A reasonable person wouldn't take anyone who talks about how a household with power tools is less safe on average seriously either. Or one who moves the goalpost to battleships.

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#106

Post by yeetawayhn » Fri, Jun 05, 2026, 7:59 PM UTC

lazyasciiart wrote: post #19

sp527 wrote: post #8

Anecdotally, a lot of politically far left people I know have gone quiet on the firearms issue. It seems like the state of the country has 2A suddenly making more sense to a lot of people.

Not to anyone who is hoping to avoid catastrophic civil disorder and mass murder (revolution/civil war/government crackdowns, however you want to label it), but I think some people have stopped hoping for that.

> Not to anyone who is hoping to avoid catastrophic civil disorder and mass murder

They are still hoping, but just being more realistic about firearms.

Re: How Fear and Social Pressure Are 'Overarming' the U.S.

#107

Post by elnatro » Sun, Jun 07, 2026, 11:29 AM UTC

yeetawayhn wrote: post #104

elnatro wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No country allow private citizens owning guns but America, because they can’t understand the 2nd amendment.

> No country allow private citizens owning guns but America This is blatantly false.

No other country allows buying machine guns as easily as the USA. There are people with actual armories in their homes. That is impossible in most countries. Take it as you wish.