![]() ![]() Reflex, panic, and immediate decision making are often what drives the action. Situations like this, where deadly weapons are drawn tend to be very intense, with quick reactions often dictating what occurs. They considered their private judgement, as gun-carriers, superior to that of the police and state officials.Ģ(d). The county sheriff refused to deputize citizens and wanted citizens with guns to leave. The police in Kenosha did not want citizens with guns present. Gun advocates in situations like the one which Kyle entered don’t really want to assist the police, but, rather *be* the police. The passion that makes this fun is dangerous and is often not sufficiently accounted for by gun advocates.Ģ(c). But it contributes to the American mythos of the gun and the gun carrier. ![]() This isn’t to say that such a thrill will motivate one to shoot another person. However, there are also many who do target practice with a gun just for fun. Many probably do target practice with the aim at being more skilled (and thus more careful) with their weapon. But it does seem to me that there is a sort of thrill associated with shooting it. I, and many others, feel *less* safe when someone is in the room with a weapon, regardless of whether that individual has a license to carry.Ģ(b). But the effect is often to diminish everyone who occupies the same space as the gun. This is how I’ve heard gun advocates defend, for example, open carry. They say that this expression of power is meant to be imposed on those who would do harm. The carrying of a gun is not seen as a grave and tragic necessity, but as an expression of power. People with guns often (though not always) express at some point a desire to enter into an endangered space as arbiter of the domain, appointing themselves as vehicles of justice and peace. American gun culture seems to me to be tied up with a pagan sort of heroism, a sort of pseudo-Christian martyrdom complex tied up with a self-appointed responsibility to be the arbiter of violence. The fact that the individuals who ran after and hit him may have been in possession of a weapon is not enough to state that he legally acted in self-defense. This might include when someone has a gun pulled on you, but usually doesn’t include when someone merely possesses a gun. Deadly self-defense usually only applies when you are faced with deadly force. He illegally crossed state lines with an assault-style rifle.ġ(d). He was in illegal possession of a firearm. He misrepresented himself as an EMT to people. There are issues of racism, though they would largely not be identifiable for those who have not been educated on how to identify racism.ġ(a).There are significant issues with American policing, both in its (positive) portrayal and in practice.There are significant issues related to American gun culture, and how guns are presented by people who promote guns (and the “2nd Amendment”).There are a number of legal issues, as the kid broke the law in multiple ways, even before he shot anyone.I am concerned, however, about access, training, use, and culture. I should also say that I’m not against gun ownership per se. I don’t have direct access to debates within gun circles (to the extent there are such debates) about access, training, and use of guns. (I’m not opposed to doing this, and may do firearms training myself, just so I can be better educated.) And most of my experience with “gun advocates” is on social media and in a few conservative social circles. I have family members with guns, but I’ve never shot a gun. Something to clarify at the outset: I have very limited experience with guns myself. Initial reflections on some of the relevant issues below… A lot of controversy concerning how to talk about Kyle Rittenhouse. ![]()
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