I've told some people that one of the problems with any sort of meaningful dialogue between pro-gun and anti-gun folks is that we approach the issue from entirely different directions. More accurately, our perspectives of the issue are formed by some fundamentally different, and mutually exclusive, points of view or beliefs. This was driven home to me today as I read some comments by people who are fervent in their belief in greater gun control. Be warned, what follows is, indeed, a generalization, based upon what I've read and my own leanings. While I think it's true, I might change my mind next week.
Pro-gun
Most of the pro-gun people I know are inclined
- To view liberties as things exercised by individuals
- Trust individuals over the government, especially as that government gets further away from the local level. This is particularly true as regards individual conduct. There seems to be a belief that, given the chance, most individuals are inclined to do the right thing.
- View free market forces as the most desirable method of regulating the market. If a company can't make it on the free market, let it collapse. Someone else will fill the void.
Anti-gun
Most of the anti-gun people I know seem inclined
- To view liberties as collective or group things
- Trust government as the primary way of regulating conduct rather than individuals
- View the market and capitalism with feelings ranging from suspicion to outright hostility. Just as conduct should be regulated by government, so too should the market to ensure equality and fairness.
Anyway, that's it, so far. Again, let me know what you think.
First off, as one veteran to another, thanks for your service. I was lucky and missed having to go to war. I wrote about it here;
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Now, your points about pro-gun vs. anti-gun folks is pretty spot on. But it should also be pointed out that the anti-gun folks have been making inroads against second amendment rights since 1934. We have always been the ones to compromise yet the anti-gun folks keep on trying to take more and more away from us. Your friend LawDog had a great analogy about that with his "Piece of Cake" post a while back.
I'm of the opinion that the only person who needs to know what kinds or how many guns I have is the stupid idiot who decides to break into my house in the middle of the night. (I hope and pray I never have to find out what it's like to shoot someone.)
And thank you for yours. We are becoming increasingly rare, us veterans (yeah, bad sentence structure). You missed nothing good by not going to war.
DeleteThe Law Dog piece has been one of my favorites for a while.
I agree. I have as many guns as I have. Other than immediate family and really close friends, that's all anyone needs to know. I'd very happily never shoot anyone ever again.
Would you believe I gave you the wrong link? LOL.
Deletehttp://thatmrgguy.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/what-did-you-do-in-the-war-daddy-with-videos/
That may not see enough shades of difference or enough types, but I understand your idea. My own views sometimes are left of center, but always I'm aiming at what is best for individuals. Sometimes, that's government intervention, as for example when the majority is not allowed to establish its religion.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, people who favor gun rights regard the individual as society's fundamental unit, while those who are against guns often see groups--races, regions, or the society as a whole--as the important element.
Somehow, people seem to miss the point that at the most basic level rights are exercised by individuals, not groups.
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