I don’t recall saying cops are useless. Are you sure you’re replying to the right person?
The police do illustrate over and over again that even trained professionals make bad decisions when issued guns. And of course the solution isn’t to escalate things by raising the threat of officers being shot, but instead in finding ways to have less people with guns, so police aren’t on alert all the time and aren’t as tempted to use their guns as their only solution.
As a thought experiment: If we gave every adult in the world access to fire the entire planet’s nuclear payload and destroy everyone, do you think we’d all be safer? Would the world even last 5 minutes?
The more people you give access to deadly weapons, the more likely you are going to run into someone who is stupid, impulsive, or downright crazy and is going to use that weapon to harm themselves or others.
I got pulled over for not seeing a stop sign at night in a bad neighborhood. I remember the young cop watching my hands with the flashlight and the light was shaking slightly while I searched for my registration.
That was not an enjoyable experience for me or him and it shouldn’t have to be anything except mildly annoying. He shouldn’t be thinking that I am ready to kill him and I shouldn’t be worried that he will make a mistake and me getting shot.
You should be asking if society is safer if people have guns than if they don’t. Of course, answering this isn’t so simple because which society matters.
I don’t recall saying cops are useless. Are you sure you’re replying to the right person?
The police do illustrate over and over again that even trained professionals make bad decisions when issued guns. And of course the solution isn’t to escalate things by raising the threat of officers being shot, but instead in finding ways to have less people with guns, so police aren’t on alert all the time and aren’t as tempted to use their guns as their only solution.
As a thought experiment: If we gave every adult in the world access to fire the entire planet’s nuclear payload and destroy everyone, do you think we’d all be safer? Would the world even last 5 minutes?
The more people you give access to deadly weapons, the more likely you are going to run into someone who is stupid, impulsive, or downright crazy and is going to use that weapon to harm themselves or others.
I got pulled over for not seeing a stop sign at night in a bad neighborhood. I remember the young cop watching my hands with the flashlight and the light was shaking slightly while I searched for my registration.
That was not an enjoyable experience for me or him and it shouldn’t have to be anything except mildly annoying. He shouldn’t be thinking that I am ready to kill him and I shouldn’t be worried that he will make a mistake and me getting shot.
I think you’re asking the wrong questions.
You should be asking if society is safer if people have guns than if they don’t. Of course, answering this isn’t so simple because which society matters.
Uh, this has already been answered. Every developed nation with strict gun control is safer.
Lots of rural America is still very underdeveloped. The only protection these people have from threats is the protection they can provide themselves.
This is what I mean by ‘which society matters.’ There are many differences between nations than just their gun laws.
Society is never safer with guns, and the more society you have the fewer guns you need.
If you live in barbarism, sure, you might need a gun, but barbarism is antithetical to a healthy society.