I don't think banning guns in the US is realistic - especially considering the sheer number of guns. There's more guns than people, with nearly 400 million guns in civilian possession, with almost all of them unregistered. It's so deeply baked into our culture.
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I'm interested in options to reduce mass violence that don't go down the gun elimination road, because those are more likely to happen (and thus save lives). Stuff like mental health treatment, figuring out how to keep guns away from dangerous people, or allowing greater defense.
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In US, gun homicides are negatively correlated with gun ownership; as in, states with higher gun ownership actually have slightly *fewer* gun homicides than states with lower gun ownership. Idk exactly what this means, but it backs my intuition that banning guns isn't the answer.
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The problem is that it’s so deeply baked into half of the country’s culture and not in the other half. And politics isn’t interested in reality.
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Didn't work with alcohol, hasn't worked with drugs either. They can't even keep drugs out of a federal prison and they haven't been legal for 200+ years.
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Australia had as strong a gun culture and yet had a large disarmament after a big mass shooting. For one, I don’t think gun control is effective only when it leaves very few guns out there.
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Could be done in a year time, especially if only assault rifles and extensive ammo are banned and expropriated from the public. And only this step will help avoid mass shootings (with >25 people dead/injured).
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I distrust "ingrained in the culture" or "mentality" arguments in a debate about political decisions. Culture evolves, and the only relevant thing is how much political will is there on both sides to tip the balance in their direction. Practical solutions will follow
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no one is banning guns. we want to ban "weapons of war" assault rifles and their accesories!!
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The capacity to respond to these kind of weapons is non existent. One psycho in only 30 seconds can kill more than 10 persons. He has the advantage of surprise, he can choose the best time, and he doesn't care too much about his life. It's just a recipe for disaster.
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