I might be wrong, but I distinctly remember, after Parkland, David Hogg said: “we don’t want to take away your guns or your second amendment, there are guns in my house, my parents own them.” I hope I’m wrong, not because I am agin him, I think he is a bawcock and an imp of fame, but trying the security guard who was on duty at Parkland and the cops in Uvalde for not rushing in Kevin Costner fashion in Dances with Wolves is the biggest load of scapegoatism. Both gunmen had assault rifles, children were everywhere, in between, and yes, the cops didnt want to die. If you want to stop gun violence you’re going to have to get a lot of them handed in and melted down into ploughshares, and that will have to include the fictitious law abiding guns that “good” people own to, um, shoot holes in their flowerbeds to plant tulips? The rationale for police owning guns, the same rationale the rest of us own them, is to protect themselves/ourselves from “bad” guys with guns. Like many rationales it is not the whole truth and is probably bigger part lie but moving against a cautious security guard who probably makes $15 an hour is pathetic. The cops will, reasonably, demand assault rifles and won’t that be fun. O just looked it up and its already started! So, since, so far as I know, one doesn’t buy an assault rifle to rob bank, or do a drug deal, it is the weapon of choice for messed up people or men with small you know whats. They are the ones leading the arms race whose only conclusion will be private citizens staying in front. Just like the international one, we will all need bigger gun, if we assume, which we do, that Hamilton’s “What, in the name of common sense?” is nonsensical, see Federalist 29. Are these David’s parents? I don’t know. If one buys a gun for self defense, isn’t that the “rationale?” It’s ok to lie. To ourselves, we all do. But that’s what you’re doing. You are surrendering to the notion that you live in a society of murderous wolves, and you need a lil insurance.
An argument I have made before but not seen or heard reflected is that the fictitious good guy gun owner, the David Hogg parents, are at the root of the problem. Not the looneys in the NRA, though looneys they are, nor the “mentally ill” in fact by Hamilton’s reason, no gun owner is possessed of common sense, or, are mentally ill which is a good definition of one who lacks, common sense. We are hoist by that petard: that ANYONE can safely own a firearm, most especially anyone who owns it for self defense. That simple Hollywood fantasy is the key. Since many cops think that someone black running away from them is a mortal threat, I’d not be doleing out high capacity stuff to them o, no no. More choice of stupid.