Comic Strips

As a country though we're making the choice to prioritise lives over convenience, as we often do. And for that I am happy.

Except restricting gun ownership isn't necessary for that. The motivations for gun crimes are the same as any violent crime, in that they're largely done out of desperation. Because of that, your best way to reduce gun crime is to reduce violent crime, which is done by improving people economic conditions: nationalize healthcare, have strong workers rights, properly tax the wealthy, improve environmental quality.

As you can probably tell, the US really sucks at what I described, hence the higher rates of violence. What's frustrating is that Europe did fix them, but also restricted access to guns and continually (and incorrectly) points to that as the reason they have little violent crime.

Also, another thing to note is that a lot of gun control proponents tend to point solely to "gun crime" not "violent crime". That's disingenuous because they're only looking at the methods, not the actual motivations

Australia only took 20% of the guns, yet to take 20% of the US' guns at the same price they did (in 1996, without even accounting for inflation) literally pulls up in my calc with scientific notation. Their new buyback is only estimated at costing $15 billion despite having significantly less guns than even last time, when they still had less than we do now at their "more." What's more nearly half of the guns they got in were "shotguns and pea rifles (.22lr)," only 204 were automatic. You're, by your own metric, "part of the problem" unless you relinquish Pappy's shotgun at the next available buyback (or just cut the receiver in half yourself.) Well, what are you waiting for? You'd "turn it in without even thinking about it" yet you've had two years to destroy it or relinquish it in one of the buybacks the US already regularly does yet you have it. Get on it then.

People will still die even if you could thanos snap the entire concept of guns out of existence, the only difference being those stronger and faster will more easily be able to exert their will over those smaller, slower, disabled, etc. The soul crushing surveillance state is more effective in curbing crime than stripping people of their right to protect themselves tbh, of course either way you're losing rights to privacy or protection and neither are frankly ideal, I'd rather possibly be murdered tbh.

I'm gonna push back on "slightly inconvenienced." Going by my prior example, "being robbed and stabbed in a walmart parking lot" wouldn't go under "slight" on my inconveniences list. Them not having my brand of potato bread so I have to get white bread is a slight inconvenience, stab wounds are a little more than "slight."

"Obviously helpful" I disagree with too quite frankly, I'm not going to shoot up a school (unless a school is literally trying to murder me but somehow that seems unlikely), so then who am I "helping" by relinquishing my gun, the guy who wanted to stab and rob me in the walmart parking lot? Well forgive me for saying, but I don't think I'm inclined to help that guy, I'd rather make it as difficult as possible by defending myself, preferably through intimidation rather than actual use of force (which again is what happened), but still.

Interestingly enough,

For example, as a gearhead, requiring every single gun to be licensed like a car

You DON'T have to have a licence for every car you buy (nor a background check), moreover you DON'T need a license to buy a car at all, and you DON'T even need one to drive on private roads. You DO need a license to drive on public roads and you DO need a license to carry a gun in public however (in most states), so congratulations your goal is already met (in most states).

Taxing guns is in effect "guns only for the privileged." All it does is disenfranchise further those who likely need personal protection the most. Call me crazy but I can't get behind "guns only for those who can afford an arbitrary tax" as I believe those in poverty should be able to protect themselves as well.

And "caught with an unlicensed gun" let me ask, do you think this will be enforced evenly, or do you think police will use this as an excuse to continue overpolicing and overcharging disenfranchised minorities (exactly like they currently do with drugs)? Something tells me that this is just going to be another thing to charge the blacks for and every now and again a white guy will get caught up in it. Idk if it's just "the entire history of policing in this country dating as far back as the 1700s" or what, but I don't think this is finally the year we turn it all around.

And finally, all that is not to say "let's not do anything," but rather "further legislation on top of the 50,000+ current gun laws in this country isn't ever going to be nearly as effective as addressing the root causes (of which there are multiple) of the violence." Even if we thanos snapped away the concept of firearms (as if they wouldn't be reinvented, they were made in ancient goddamn China it isn't that hard), we'd STILL have to address those root problems. The ~~gun~~ crime is a symptom not the disease.

Good luck moving! Hope you have a marketable skill though, turns out America isn't the only country that is difficult to legally immigrate to either. You selling that shotgun before you move though? I might be interested for the right price. Help with the moving costs and such, more than the buyback would too, and I'll give it a good home where it'll be lovingly cared for instead of desecrated. I'm looking for a browning a5, or a trench gun, or a 2x barrel side by side. Do it all legal like, you drop it off at a nearby FFL (I'll help you find one if need be) and I'll give you the address of mine, they'll background check me and everything.