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PM_DOLPHIN_PICS t1_j1slrud wrote

Reply to comment by RisksRewardsRelics in Failed meme but NH placement is precious by WoobieBee

And this is where the nuance comes in. Because I agree with you 100% and will not try to tell you that you’re wrong for owning an AR. I am personally strictly anti-AR. I don’t own one and I will not own one. That said, a lot of very, very bad people do own one (or several). As such, I understand the people who own one specifically because these extremists own them, and the best deterrent/defense against these thugs who have openly expressed their desire for mass violence is to have the same weapons they have. But, nobody I know who leans left and owns an AR ever wants to use it for its purpose. At all. It’s always something they own as a form of insurance against the bad things that are creeping closer and closer to us.

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RisksRewardsRelics t1_j1svodb wrote

> But, nobody I know who leans left and owns an AR ever wants to use it for its purpose. At all. It’s always something they own as a form of insurance against the bad things that are creeping closer and closer to us.

I’d say that’s a fair assessment. We’re not the ones marching out with our rifles to intimidate and harass others. This is what gives the perception that leftists are unarmed. Though, some more recent events have seen leftists displaying arms as a sign that they won’t be intimidated.

There’s a difference between being a idealist (“guns are bad, let’s get rid of them”) and being an realist (“bad people won’t get rid of their guns, I’d better be prepared if shit hits the fan.”)

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PM_DOLPHIN_PICS t1_j1syehj wrote

Exactly, you are putting it into exactly the right words. You’re right about people on the left being more open about their weapon possession recently, but like you said, entirely in response to escalation and threats from right wing militias. And it’s worked! Incredibly well! It’s one of the things that changed a lot of my left-leaning friends’ minds about guns, watching alt right dudes chicken out when they were confronted by a group that’s as heavily armed as they are. It leads to a de-escalation of the situation because ultimately these militia guys are cosplaying cowards. It’s just such a useful deterrent against these goblins.

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RisksRewardsRelics t1_j1t1wkq wrote

> ultimately these militia guys are cosplaying cowards.

💯 absolute truth.

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tylermm03 t1_j1v5cvx wrote

Believe it or not, AR-15’s and rifles and in general make up a small percentage of homicides, handguns make up the majority of homicides in FBI statistics. You’re also around 5 times more likely to be stabbed to death then killed with a rifle. As a gun owner myself, I think the problem causing most violent crime is mental health and socioeconomic problems, especially considering the fact that cities tend to have a lot more homicides then rural areas (see table 8).. Also considering the 1994-2004 assault weapons ban was found to have mixed results. One of the things noted in this article states that because there was a grandfather clause, it made guns grandfathered in much more expensive (this happened with machine guns when the registry closed in 1986, they now range in price from $9k-$300k depending on what you’re looking at) and thus less accessible to criminals, so they ended up turning to semi autos that weren’t banned. Instead of arguing over whether a certain gun should or shouldn’t be legal, I’d say the best thing our nation could do is find a solution that both sides would agree to, specifically Group Violence Intvention programs (aka Community Violence Intervention programs). Programs such as these have actually been proven to reduce violent crime and crimes involving firearms as much as 60%. I myself support these programs being implemented and I’d bet the majority of gun owners would as well considering that no rights are being infringed, no guns are being banned, violent crime is being reduced and a significant number of lives are being saved.

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RisksRewardsRelics t1_j1v5sba wrote

That makes sense, therefore it will likely never happen.

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tylermm03 t1_j1v7cu3 wrote

Unfortunately you’re probably right :/ . Politics suck.

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RisksRewardsRelics t1_j1v7r36 wrote

The Dems will cry “but guns are bad!!!” While the Republicans will say “fund programs that help people other than myself? Why would I want to do that?”

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