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eirrann | he/him
@eirrann.eth
Politically, I lean progressive. When I left the US military 20+ years ago and moved overseas, I was against owning a gun. A decade ago, I moved back to the US. A year later, I saw a feral dog attack a man in front of my house. It shook me. I bought my 1st gun (Glock 19) to protect family and neighbors. It was too large for comfortable concealed carry, so I switched to a Sig P365: compact, concealable, practical. Then I saw openly armed neo-Nazis marching with AR-style rifles: functionally identical to what I trained on in the military. I decided Nazis shouldn’t be the only ones armed. I bought an AR “pistol” (thanks, weird gun laws), chambered in the larger .300 Blackout round. Better for short barrels; more practical for home defense. So: I’m a progressive gun owner. This piece by “liberal gun-owning sociologist” David Yamane resonated. (1/3) https://theconversation.com/guns-in-america-a-liberal-gun-owning-sociologist-offers-5-observations-to-understand-americas-culture-of-firearms-251084
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eirrann | he/him
@eirrann.eth
Yamane’s key points: 1. Guns are normal Roughly 86 million adults in the US own guns: about 1 in 3. That’s more than all TikTok users in the US plus the population of NYC. Firearms are deeply embedded in US history, law and daily life. You may not like it, but it’s the reality. 2. We’re in Gun Culture 2.0 Earlier generations emphasized hunting, sport and collecting. Today, it’s increasingly about personal defense. Laws, marketing and firearm design have all shifted toward small, concealable guns: and the idea of protecting oneself and loved ones. 3. Gun ownership is diverse 1 in 4 Black Americans, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 Latinos own guns. So do 1 in 5 self-identified liberals. LGBTQ+ gun ownership is growing too. Gun culture isn’t just rural, white and right-wing anymore. Security is universal. (2/3)
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eirrann | he/him
@eirrann.eth
Yamane’s key points (cont’d): 4. Guns are lethal tools Most US gun deaths are suicides (58%) or homicides (38%). Firearms are designed to kill. That’s what makes them uniquely dangerous. And when they’re used for suicide, they’re tragically effective: about 90% fatality rate. 5. Guns are paradoxical Most guns will never kill. Most owners will never harm anyone. But they can kill, and that risk is real. Guns are protective and terrifying, normal and extreme, good and bad—all at once. You can’t flatten them into a single narrative. My $0.02: If we want to have better conversations about guns in America, we need to be willing to sit with those paradoxes. To see the whole picture—not just the parts that fit our politics. That’s what I’m trying to do. Maybe you are too. (3/3)
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Stuart
@olystuart
Good thread. I feel similarly, though I've never owned, held or fired a gun. I used to be 100% against them but became more open minded as I read leftist theory and history and witnessed neonazi violence as you mention. It's difficult because I agree with those who have lost loved ones to mass shootings that people don't need things like pseudo- assault rifles, but I also see that gun control is a policing thing which means racism and other discrimination. It doesn't make sense to disarm the population when we have a police force that's a well armed occupying army (better funded than most armies, even).
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Stuart
@olystuart
And I don't say that thinking people should go against them, I'm not an accelerationist or boogaloo boy or something. I just think it's a fair point to ask why individuals should disarm while the State maintains a monopoly on violence.
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eirrann | he/him
@eirrann.eth
All good points Such a complex topic It's a topic that between my military background and desire to never have to aim of weapon at someone I really struggle with myself
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HackingThroughLife
@hnnhstphnz
Thanks for this conversation. I have only shot guns at 1) summer camp - rifle range 2) my uncles lake house unregulated and dangerous. I think guns - like very limited in scope - can be regulated. I have family who live in Montana who hunt for game meet. With a permit and license, I think I am ok with that. I also know that the odds of someone dying by a gun only increase when a gun is around. People may wield them but it’s the gun. Do I like the idea of using it for protection? No. Do I understand the appeal? Yeah.
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eirrann | he/him
@eirrann.eth
I'm honestly shocked how almost zero requirements there are in the US for someone to have any kind of gun safety training or gun handling training before they can go out and buy almost any kind of weapon they want outside of like more heavily regulated automatic weapons and stuff that you need of, for example a license as a dealer to handle I wish I lived in a place where I didn't feel like I need to own a weapon to be safe Sadly, that's not the reality here in Florida (Apologies for voice dictation typos)
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