Thread by @Norlaine

I'm going to quote tweet this because I have a lot to say on this topic. Sorry, but Twitter is very tiresome if you are trying to post a series of replies... 1/9

https://twitter.com/FluffyFire/status/1446342795447373826

First, yes, "people" are the ones who decide to use whatever is at hand when they are angry or whatever. But it isn't that simple. People are not born "criminal". Yes, some people are born sociopathic, i.e. lacking the ability to feel empathy. 2/19

But most sociopaths do not commit crime. They tend to do well in business or politics because stepping over people doesn't bother them, but they aren't out on street corners randomly shooting at people. 3/19

Acting out in ways that violently impact others seems to be more driven by environmental factors, like poverty, growing up in a violent household, hunger, alienation that leads to gang membership to satisfy needs for belonging, 4/19

Substance abuse which is often a coping mechanism to deal with trauma... And, yes, many things can be used as weapons. Vehicles, construction or gardening tools, chef tools like knives, natural things like rocks or logs... 5/19

But guns are the only items whose primary purpose is to kill. You can't use a gun to take you to the grocery store, or slice a peach, or dig a garden. There are secondary uses for guns, like target shooting competition. 6/19

My point is that access to guns increases the possibility for homicide. Given all the other factors are present. And law-abiding gun owners are law-abiding until they aren't. Certainly the majority don't cross that threshold. 7/19

But there are some who skirt the line, threatening their domestic partner or the children, or the family pets, and that keeps women in abusive situations. And there are some who suddenly explode. 8/19
calgaryherald.com/news/local-new…

Having guns in the home, accessible, increases the likelihood that suicide attempts will be successful. Also, that escalated violence will be more likely to lead to multiple deaths. 9/19

So, "people" will still respond according to learned negative patterns of behaviour, but if they can access a dedicated killing machine, the outcome will generally be worse. 10/19

To be fair, I have not fired a gun since I was maybe 10. I had an uncle who liked to take me and my big brother out to shoot cans off a wall. I was little and the noise and kickback scared me. I did not understand the attraction, how anyone found this fun. 11/19

Since then I have been told that it is a big rush. And the bigger the gun, the bigger the rush. Still, really not of interest to me. And, over the years, I have had guns pointed at me. That is always terrifying. 12/19

"People" are just people, dealing with stuff, more or less depending on their past experiences. But, if they are in a bad place in their head and have a gun, the scales get tilted drastica9lly towards a deadly outcome. 13/19

If I am attacked by an unarmed person, I can fight back. If I am attacked by someone armed with a knife or in a vehicle, I can fight back or run. A shot randomly out of the blue... well, you have no self-defence recourse. 14/19

Your only hope, really, is that they are a very bad shot. Which our would-be assailant apparently was. So, yeah, I am in favour of further strengthening of gun laws. I don't ever want to hear that one of my children has been shot on the street. 15/19

I don't want to be randomly shot in the street. I don't want anyone to be shot. I know gun enthusiasts like to blame the people, but I think a lot of the time, if the people didn't have guns, there would be a lot more people still alive today. 16/19

I know gun enthusiasts like to point out that there are many things that can be used as weapons. I heard a story almost the same as yours after another gun control thread. Boyfriend with a vehicle/stranger with a vehicle. 17/19

These stories feel like "whataboutism". I am sorry if that really happened to you. But I refer back to my "primary purpose" vs "secondary purpose". Cars are not made to be killing machines. In fact, the manufacturers put a lot of effort into having the best safety features.18/19

There are cars coming out now that won't let you hit anything unless you override the safety mechanisms. Are there any guns coming out that will stop you from shooting people? 19/19