“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary.” -Karl Marx
America does have a “unique” culture around guns, but that’s not all that prevalent on the left. What’s driving interest in guns is the sad fact that we might need to use them.
The thought process that “we might need to use them” is evidence that the left in America does think about guns differently than the rest of the world.
You should mention that that was Karl Marx before the US civil war. Not Karl Marx in an age where drone-based warfare is common.
The potential to need to use guns is a statement of fact. The alternative of counting on law and order to correct the overreach of a fascist cop is no longer valid. When people start getting disappeared without due process, that changes the calculus entirely.
I’ve got no clue what drones have to do with this. That’s just one more threat of extrajudicial state violence we might very well have to face. I’d rather try to defend myself from a drone with buck shot than a slingshot.
The potential to need to use guns is a statement of fact
It’s your opinion that you might want to use guns. That doesn’t mean that guns are the only possible solution to the problem. As I said, American-brained people think Americanely, which distinguishes them from the rest of the world.
Ok Mr big bad, you live around a bunch of idiots and cops that have guns and want to kill you, let’s see how cavalier you are about not wanting to protect yourself especially given the current state of affairs in the US.
Big Ukraine giving up it’s nuclear arsenal just to end up getting invaded by Russia energy.
I think you will find that anyone who can’t rely on functioning courts thinks about guns this way. It’s not just Americans. There are dozens of countries where you would be braindead not to have guns for home protection. The thing those countries have in common is a rational lack of confidence in the rule of law. Russians see it that way. Afghans do too. Pretty much everywhere but Europe sees it that way unless they have a government so oppressive as to make private gun ownership nearly impossible.
I think you’ll find that it’s mostly Americans who jump to guns first. There are dozens of countries Americans look at and say: “Gee, those people should have guns”, but the locals disagree.
Russia? You can’t buy a hunting rifle unless you’ve owned a smoothbore gun for 5 years without an incident. Fully automatic guns? Forbidden. Pistols and revolvers? Heavily restricted. If you own one you have to keep it in a gun safe which is inspected by the Russian version of ATF. And you need to pass an exam and a psychological check to own one.
I don’t know where you got the idea that Russians have a similar fetish for guns as Americans.
As for Afghanistan, is that really a country you want to compare the US to? A country that has been at war more often than it has been at peace?
Almost nobody in the world sees it the same as the US. Not in Africa. Not in South America. Not in Europe. Definitely not in Asia. And not even in other countries in North America.
It’s definitely not just an American thing.
America does have a “unique” culture around guns, but that’s not all that prevalent on the left. What’s driving interest in guns is the sad fact that we might need to use them.
The thought process that “we might need to use them” is evidence that the left in America does think about guns differently than the rest of the world.
You should mention that that was Karl Marx before the US civil war. Not Karl Marx in an age where drone-based warfare is common.
Are you suggesting we build weaponized drones?
I’m saying that if Karl Marx had written things in 2025, what he would have said would undoubtedly have been different than what he wrote in 1850.
The potential to need to use guns is a statement of fact. The alternative of counting on law and order to correct the overreach of a fascist cop is no longer valid. When people start getting disappeared without due process, that changes the calculus entirely.
I’ve got no clue what drones have to do with this. That’s just one more threat of extrajudicial state violence we might very well have to face. I’d rather try to defend myself from a drone with buck shot than a slingshot.
It’s your opinion that you might want to use guns. That doesn’t mean that guns are the only possible solution to the problem. As I said, American-brained people think Americanely, which distinguishes them from the rest of the world.
Ok Mr big bad, you live around a bunch of idiots and cops that have guns and want to kill you, let’s see how cavalier you are about not wanting to protect yourself especially given the current state of affairs in the US.
Big Ukraine giving up it’s nuclear arsenal just to end up getting invaded by Russia energy.
Why would I live there? I’d leave.
Not everyone has the financial resources to up and move countries.
I think you will find that anyone who can’t rely on functioning courts thinks about guns this way. It’s not just Americans. There are dozens of countries where you would be braindead not to have guns for home protection. The thing those countries have in common is a rational lack of confidence in the rule of law. Russians see it that way. Afghans do too. Pretty much everywhere but Europe sees it that way unless they have a government so oppressive as to make private gun ownership nearly impossible.
I think you’ll find that it’s mostly Americans who jump to guns first. There are dozens of countries Americans look at and say: “Gee, those people should have guns”, but the locals disagree.
Russia? You can’t buy a hunting rifle unless you’ve owned a smoothbore gun for 5 years without an incident. Fully automatic guns? Forbidden. Pistols and revolvers? Heavily restricted. If you own one you have to keep it in a gun safe which is inspected by the Russian version of ATF. And you need to pass an exam and a psychological check to own one.
I don’t know where you got the idea that Russians have a similar fetish for guns as Americans.
As for Afghanistan, is that really a country you want to compare the US to? A country that has been at war more often than it has been at peace?
Almost nobody in the world sees it the same as the US. Not in Africa. Not in South America. Not in Europe. Definitely not in Asia. And not even in other countries in North America.