Escalation

[garran]

"An armed society is a polite society."

I'm not sure what one does about this. Although I tend to like gun control laws, in concept, of course passing a law against something isn't really a very effective way to keep it from happening. What's needed is a general culture of not-guns - and although I'd have some idea how to go about it in a community of about the size and good will of Windsor House, on this sort of scale I really don't know how to get that back, once it starts to go.

This isn't what I expect from Vancouver.

Comments

[synchcola.livejournal.com]

There are shooting ranges in Vancouver, I think, and hunting guns. There isn't much to hunt in city limits, but there's lots of country in the distance. There are also guns for protection from burglars and things. But the stories are, like, people carrying around handguns! On main thoroughfares! For no reason except possibly that their friends might shoot them or that the police might suddenly bust in, dive behind the bar counter, sweep off all the loose glass and pepper everyone with cold lead! Yarr!

So I think that carrying one around nearly *is* misuse, in this case, and for these people. They should carry throwing knives if they HAVE to be dangerous SOMEHOW, because at least they can't blow up the side of people's heads with those. They will have to be content with a cut.

[garran.livejournal.com]

Cola spoke for me pretty well; I was assuming a fairly narrow universe of discourse - something like, "folks living urban lives, especially youths and criminals, who might carry guns on their persons" - and counting on the context of the articles to make it apparent.


-Garran