The Second Amendment
To those who support the Second Amendment-- so do I. The Second Amendment's spirit is not only commendable, but vital for the perseverance of a representative democracy. I completely agree with you on this. But do you think a handgun or even a hunting rifle or even a semi-auto hunting rifle would stop our government from killing US citizens if it wanted to? The US is a nuclear power. The 2nd amendment was written when government soldiers used guns, not when they used drones and icbms. Civilians with guns are no match for the US military might. A hunting rifle is not a deterrent if the government is coming for you. The Second Amendment is not literally about firepower. It is about the power of the people to overthrow their government. Guns are not what we would use to overthrow a dictatorial government in the 21st century. We'd use the internet. I'd like to see the 2nd Amendment used to validate net neutrality. In the Arab Spring we saw that internet connections were vital to a modern revolution. We're seeing the same in Catalonia right now. In fact, if net neutrality ever dies, I'd like to sue the government for denying my Second Amendment rights. I'd like to see it get to the Supreme Court and broaden the interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Also, we need to stop blaming "mental illness" for mass killings. Don't group the criminally violent with someone with a non-violent mental illness such as "schizophrenia, other psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder"*. These are NONVIOLENT illnesses. Whatever it is that causes someone to do what was done in Las Vegas, it is something that does not have a name or a clinical test. The appellation "evil" is actually a good one, since these actions are unforgivable, unthinkable, and not rooted in known mental illness. You also can't predict who might be evil. And even if you could, you still can't punish someone who hasn't committed a crime. Stop linking me, as someone with a mental illness who has never hurt anything bigger than a spider, with these crazies. Just stop. How dare you tell me that you're going to take away any of my fundamental rights because I have depression? Say it to my face.
*(Elbogen, Eric B., Paul A. Dennis, and Sally C. Johnson. "Beyond Mental Illness." Clinical Psychological Science 4.5 (2016): 747-59.)
Also, we need to stop blaming "mental illness" for mass killings. Don't group the criminally violent with someone with a non-violent mental illness such as "schizophrenia, other psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder"*. These are NONVIOLENT illnesses. Whatever it is that causes someone to do what was done in Las Vegas, it is something that does not have a name or a clinical test. The appellation "evil" is actually a good one, since these actions are unforgivable, unthinkable, and not rooted in known mental illness. You also can't predict who might be evil. And even if you could, you still can't punish someone who hasn't committed a crime. Stop linking me, as someone with a mental illness who has never hurt anything bigger than a spider, with these crazies. Just stop. How dare you tell me that you're going to take away any of my fundamental rights because I have depression? Say it to my face.
*(Elbogen, Eric B., Paul A. Dennis, and Sally C. Johnson. "Beyond Mental Illness." Clinical Psychological Science 4.5 (2016): 747-59.)