this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2024
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Here's one I get a lot of flack for that I don't bring up much
I think people trying to cook up gun control laws are targeting the wrong guns, in going after semi auto or military rifles, when they should be going after cheap handguns that have been available forever. The majority of gun deaths are suicides, and that's almost always done with a hand gun, but even if you control for that the majority of homicides with guns are done with hand guns.
Hand guns are usually relatively cheap. They are very easy to conceal. Its very common for people to walk into a bar with a holstered hand gun and make a series of bad decisions. Its too common for people to get in road rage incidents that escalate into something tragic because of a handgun in the glove box. People leave them around their house and treat them as toys that kids end up finding.
AND I would argue that handguns are not in the spirit of the 2nd amendment. They are not fighting weapons. They are for fun, personal protection, or making people feel tough without having to do any real work. They have little range and lesser power. There are are no troops in the world that deploy with handguns as a primary weapon. US military officers get them but that's more about tradition.
Yes, I'm aware that shooting incidents done with rifles would be more deadly, but the fact there would be much fewer of them at all would be a net benefit in a society that banned or severely restricted hand guns.
Problem is that most of your anti-gun folk aren't crazy, or don't want to appear as such, and so they placate the defenders of gun rights with phrases resembling "I believe we should be able to have handguns because self defense buuuuuut nobody should have semi auto rifles." Of course, the second they do ban long guns (curbing a total of 500/60,000 gun deaths a year mind you), they'll switch to "oh well clearly that didn't work so now we're taking the handguns too." It's literally by design, simply a tactic to fool those who won't bother looking into that whole "only 500 killed with long guns/yr" stat, nor the fact that 5.56 only delivers about as much energy as a hot .357mag rnd, but the Barrett .50BMG which is bolt action and therefore totally fine delivers about 10,000 more ft-lbs of energy, etc.
Besides that, the 2a protects things "in common use" according to Heller and "must have a historical precedent for bans," according to Bruen therefore handguns do fall quite under the scope of the 2a and a ban would be ruled unconstitutional immediately.
Besides that, self defense is important, and unless you suggest people start open carrying ARs, the best way to do it is to CCW a compact 9mm handgun.
Furthermore "guns shouldn't be for the poor" would help to curb crime, but at what cost? That is pure T bona-fide classism and I don't support it, personally.
This guy never saw John Wick.