AST (After Sean Taylor)-To gun or not to gun?

[onlydarksets]

Interesting that I don't see a huge difference in our assessment of the general population. We both agree that most people sit back and don't prepare themselves for contingencies. Our point of disagreement is whether that unprepared person should have a gun in their hand. I'll leave it at that, and just answer the question you asked.

Originally Posted by mheisig

Good point about the natural use of a firearm. I fail to see how that debunks anything however. That natural purpose IS injurious, I'd argue deadly (if it functions as it should.) What's wrong with that? If an intruder breaks into my home with the intent of harming my family, you are absolutely correct that I will not hesitate to end their life.

Going with your argument, if the natural use of a car is transportation, will it make you feel better that its natural use isn't injurious when some idiot on the road loses control and hits you and your family head-on? Will you say, "Well, at least it wasn't intended for injury, that makes me feel better."

The intended use of a firearm is injury or death, just as it should be. Employed properly, this results in the protection of the innocent against the evil. Employed negligently it can result in accidental injury. Employed maliciously it can cause intentional injury or death of the innocent perpetrated by the evil.

The intended purpose of a car is transportation. Employed properly it results in peaceful transportation of people and cargo from point A to point B. Employed negligently it can result in accidental death or injury. Employed maliciously it can cause the same injurious or deadly consequences as a firearm.

What's the difference?

The problem is that you are conflating intended results and byproducts. Employed properly, the use of a firearm has the intended result of the death or injury of an individual. The byproduct is protection.

For you, that may not be a distinction that matters (I don't mean that as an insult - it's an implication of your argument). However, it does create these hyperbolic strawmen that distort the discussion.

As for cars, etc., the fact is you can use most items maliciously to kill or injure someone (Sean Taylor could use 1,432 items in the average living room, including the room itself). It doesn't really help the argument to throw the kitchen sink in there as an analogue to a gun.