Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

There are more than three kinds, everyone's motivation is different, and claiming to know what someone else is thinking based on what you perceive, is not accurate.

I can think of at least another kind: someone who likes to be prepared, who doesn't think they'll ever need it, and hopes to never use it. - me

Do you pay for insurance that you aren't legally-required to have? A gun is not the same, but there are parallels.




If you make a conscious decision to bring lethal protection with you on a regular basis, you probably live in fear.

As you said, carrying a gun comes with huge responsibility. The chances that I would have to carry a gun to protect my life would have to be much higher than they are today before it overcame my concerns about carrying a gun.

Becoming oblivious to wearing a weapon is in itself a liability. So it comes with significant mental overhead.


My gun does require some mental overhead, but I wouldn't call it significant. My mental checklist of "phone, keys, wallet" just turns into "phone, keys, wallet, gun" and just like someone wearing a skirt might make sure they are modest when they sit down, bend over, the wind blows, etc, I just make sure my gun remains secure and unexposed.

With a good "holster" (for me, CCW Breakaways), I pretty much don't have to worry about it at all, even when doing something physical.

I'm sure I'm an outlier, but I think it goes to show that generalizing is bad.


If it's to be prepared to use it for self-defence, then that is by definition out of fear. You don't prepare to defend yourself if you don't fear you might one day need it. Just like you don't buy insurance if you don't think you might one day risk needing it, though that isn't normally out of fear.


Whatever definition you're using is generalizing, and is incorrect.

You're assuming you know what I think or feel, and you're wrong.


No I'm not but I'm not surprised you won't admit it (maybe even to yourself). That you carry a gun just like someone might carry a set of paintbrushes because they might just need them some day on the road is hilarious. Of course it is fear. Okay you are correct, there's another option: that you have a hard on that you might some day get to use it. So three types: those that are afraid, those that think it makes them cool and those that want to use it.


> someone who likes to be prepared, who doesn't think they'll ever need it, and hopes to never use it

If 40% of the population think they need to be prepared, there is probably something broken in that community.


Even if you're right (I'd at least mostly agree), pointing that out doesn't change the facts for the people who think they need to be prepared. Don't blame them. Fix the situation before you expect them to relax.


> Fix the situation before you expect them to relax.

The only way to fix the situation, in my opinion, is gun control. People are worried, admitting that's the main motive, because there are too many armed people around.


I am not going to disagree with you there. I would like it if we never needed guns. Unfortunately I don't know of any community that has erradicated crime and dangerous animals.


> . Unfortunately I don't know of any community that has erradicated crime and dangerous animals.

I agree, risk zero does not exists, but there is a lot that can be done before platoeing

To put things in perspective, these are some stats about Firearm-related death rate per 100,000 population per year

  Country          United States
  Year                      2017
  Total                    12.21  
  Homicide                  4.46
  Suicide                   7.32
  Unintentional             0.15
  Undetermined              0.10
  Guns per 100 inhabitants 120.5 
        
  ---
        
  Country                 Italy
  Year                     2015
  Total                    1.13  
  Homicide                 0.29 
  Suicide                  0.72
  Unintentional            0.12  
  Undetermined             0.00
  Guns per 100 inhabitants 11.9
        
  ---
        
  Country                 Japan
  Year                     2015
  Total                    0.02
  Homicide                 0.00
  Suicide                  0.01
  Unintentional            0.00
  Undetermined             0.00
  Guns per 100 inhabitants 0.60
        

As you can see the death rate appears to be strongly correlated to the amount of firearms circulating: USA has ten times the number of firearms of Italy (proportionally to the population) and 10 times the deaths, Japan has 1/200 of the firearms of USA and 1/600 of the deaths, Japan owns 1/20th of the firearms of Italy and has 1/60 of the deaths.


> correlated

"correlation does not equal causation"

It appears as if we have different mindsets, and that's okay. It seems like we both agree there's a problem, but may differ as to the cause/solution or way to lessen the problem, and only wish the best for everyone. I'm pretty sure neither of are going to change our thoughts about guns based on this thread here.


> "correlation does not equal causation"

I'm familiar with the concept and I do not want to change your mind.

I also wish the best for everybody too, I lived in the USA and still have many friends there and many of them, of course, disagree with me on this and it's ok.

I've said "appears to be strongly correlated" because I know Americans are sensitive about this topic, after all it's a Constitutional right.

But in the end when the stats of your country are the worst among "first World" countries, places like Nicaragua, Mexico and South Africa do better and Colombia is only slightly worse, maybe it's time to try something radically different, because whatever it's going on right now in the USA it's clearly not working.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/2010_hom...




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: