Lacking meaningful gun control encourages an arms race in homes and on the street

[CreekDog]

where people of all different groups will vie to have the quickest firing, greatest magazine capacity, quickest reloading, quickest drawing and other technological features of modern weapons which will constantly make these better and more effective at killing than the weapons they may be used to confront.

i don't see how we win at this game.

there is enough evidence that more arms in general don't make us as individuals nor our society safer.

the idea of an arms race, which is already occurring, means that yet more people in more categories of society will feel the pressure (but many won't feel the desire) to arm themselves and then get on the treadmill of making sure they are constantly outfitted (and possibly carrying) the latest weapons with the most advanced capabilities.

and when our teachers don't want to carry guns but either are forced to, or feel that there is no choice, and when our physicians feel so at risk that they spend time educating themselves at gun stores and at firing ranges, when they'd rather advance their medical training...

and then when a few teachers flip out (statistically, any class of people is going to have this happen), but if it begins happening when most teachers are armed, then we will end up exploring whether to arm some of our children and teacher's aides and so forth, and they too will join the treadmill of having the latest and greatest.

but will we be safer? will we be increasingly unsafe?

from what i can see, the only ones likely to benefit from this process are the gun manufacturers and investors.

the others will be spending more time on the treadmill, trying to keep up with the latest weapons, latest training --all simply to survive, without even the promise that keeping up with the arms race will help them do that.

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. Good way to put it.

When I saw the big lines purchasing guns after this event, that's exactly what came to mind. Its no different from the Soviet's panicked Rush to get nukes after the US, which in turn caused a number of other countries to panic to get them, a situation which goes on to this day, though work is being done to scale it back. Every country wants them for safety, which is exactly what decreases as more countries get them, because the odds of something bad happening increases. Its one of those Nash equilibrium things I think.