since9
Campaign Veteran
Source video.
I thoroughly enjoyed the video, and it was cool to see and hear Shane Belanger in the video, but I thought the VCDL's summary statement was off-target. I don't believe "more guns in more public places protect people" any more than I believe "guns are bad."
We've long countered the "guns kill people" arguement with "guns don't kill people; people kill people." Yet when we talk about safety, we're animating guns to a status they simply don't have. Guns, by themselves, neither protect anything, nor do they kill anything. They're inanimate, machined hunks of metal.
So what does protect people? Simple: It's the same thing that kills people: People.
But let's refine that a bit, as not all people are law-abiding citizens, not all law-abiding citizens are responsible, and not all responsible law-abiding citizens are willing to accept personal responsibility for defense of self and others, fewer still by arming themselves with a firearm.
In summary, more guns in more public places won't protect people. What protects people are guns in the hands of responsible law-abiding citizens who're willing to accept responsibility for defense of self and others.
Agree? Disagree?
I thoroughly enjoyed the video, and it was cool to see and hear Shane Belanger in the video, but I thought the VCDL's summary statement was off-target. I don't believe "more guns in more public places protect people" any more than I believe "guns are bad."
We've long countered the "guns kill people" arguement with "guns don't kill people; people kill people." Yet when we talk about safety, we're animating guns to a status they simply don't have. Guns, by themselves, neither protect anything, nor do they kill anything. They're inanimate, machined hunks of metal.
So what does protect people? Simple: It's the same thing that kills people: People.
But let's refine that a bit, as not all people are law-abiding citizens, not all law-abiding citizens are responsible, and not all responsible law-abiding citizens are willing to accept personal responsibility for defense of self and others, fewer still by arming themselves with a firearm.
In summary, more guns in more public places won't protect people. What protects people are guns in the hands of responsible law-abiding citizens who're willing to accept responsibility for defense of self and others.
Agree? Disagree?