I can dispute it because it’s an obviously ridiculous straw man argument that betrays an astounding level of stupidity, and it comes from the same source whose diatribes have provided so much stupidity and unintended humor in the past. No sane person equates gun control with the elimination of all guns. In all the civilized countries in the world which have achieved very low rates of gun violence through effective gun control, there are people and things that need special protection, and they get it commensurate with appropriate licensing and regulation. Gun control doesn’t mean that Brinks guards carrying around bags of money should be protected only by personal charm and the ability to run fast, and only an idiot like Urbanredneck would think or imply that this is what gun control is about.
Incidentally, regarding Feinstein, try to get your facts straight and complete. She doesn’t carry a gun and doesn’t have a CCW. She did have one back in the 70s, when an organization called the New World Liberation Front tried to kill her. If you think this makes her a hypocritical secret gun nut – or that there’s some equivalence to a mentally unhinged yokel being able to legally own a basement-full of assault rifles – then you’re as demented as Urbanredneck.
The point of the argument is not that gun control = removing guns from security sectors, it’s that world is a dangerous place even for non famous individuals and not everyone can afford to hire a private security guard. So if your wealthy enough to hire a private armed guard, it’s hypocritical to then advocate for restricting access to guns for those who can’t.
I’m not sure i agree with the argument completely; but it’s not ridiculous.
mc
but this really isn’t the thread to debate ths. . .
It’s a pitfall of the medium. For instance, we’d welcome a spirited debate over whether you’re an asshole, but no one has volunteered to argue to the contrary.
This is the full extent of the “argument” wolfpup was referring to:
“A lot of Hollywood stars are pro gun control but they look like major hypocrites when they 1. have armed bodyguards…”
Who are these stars and what specific gun control measures are they advocating for? Lacking that information, it’s an empty argument. You can argue for some pretty strenuous gun control measures without advocating a complete ban on guns for “the little people”.
I really was. And I was assuming Spice Weasel was referring to the post I was mocking as the “apologia” in question, not my post.
As has been repeatedly stated to you, context is important. In this case, if you’re a married couple living together, it’s perfectly fine. If you’re both at a gay bar, it’s likely acceptable. If you’re strangers in line at the DMV, it’s almost certainly awkward. If you’re in a business meeting it’s deeply inappropriate. If you’re a youth pastor asking one of your teenage charges, it’s certainly heading off into ‘evil’ territory. And if you’re in prison, well…
We’re just having a circle jerk in front of thirdname because we’ve been assured this is what normal people do.
I’m not sure exactly what gun control you’re proposing. Are you against private handgun ownership and concealed-carry laws, as most gun-control advocates are?
Concealed-carry laws already have strong vetting and crime by CCW permit holders is much lower than the general population and police officers. If you have a problem with those laws now, but you’re saying that there are “people and things that need special protection” so I assume you mean celebrities will continue to employ armed guards in your proposed system of laws. A bodyguard is just a private citizen who has a gun and presumably some martial arts skills and is paid to do those things rather than doing them as a hobby as countless people do.
If you oppose concealed-carry generally but support it for the bodyguards of actors, basically what you are advocating is a class system where people can be protected by privately owned guns only on the condition that they are wealthy enough to pay someone else to do nothing but walk next to them full-time and carry that gun. Sort of like how they used to only allow nobles to own swords. Special legal privileges for the rich doesn’t sound very “liberal” or left wing to me.
Do you think non-politicians and non-actors never face threats such as Diane Feinstein did, that might necessitate defending themselves? Nobody but celebrities ever has a stalker, or simply lives in a dangerous neighborhood?
You’re right, I tried to edit “most” to “many” but I was past the 5-minute edit window. In any case, are you opposed to CCW for the plebes but in favor of rich celebrities getting to pay people to CCW for them?
To re-cap events in the cephalopod thread, Beckdawreck has been accused of trolliness after she claimed friendship with dropzone, which IdleThoughts disputed. Another poster jumped in to defend her, with a remarkably similar posting style, and was immediately banned.
I tend to agree something is off. Her posting style varies even in the same thread. She states she lives in Arkansas, but makes plans to go to a Chicago dopefest. The age of her daughter seems to vary several years, depending on the thread. She’s not taking up outlandish political positions or anything, but it’s weird.