What It's Like To Own Guns...

[jimbob]

It sounds like you see it as a means that must fulfill some end. For me, it is the ends.

I think that is correct. I would say that weapons are tools and the right to bear them is only comprehensible if that is for a purpose, i.e. to protect some aspect of freedom beyond that to bear arms.

Are you saying that bearing arms is the end itself?

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I think that is correct. I would say that weapons are tools and the right to bear them is only comprehensible if that is for a purpose, i.e. to protect some aspect of freedom beyond that to bear arms.

Are you saying that bearing arms is the end itself?

They're toys first and foremost.

 

[BobTheCoward]

I think that is correct. I would say that weapons are tools and the right to bear them is only comprehensible if that is for a purpose, i.e. to protect some aspect of freedom beyond that to bear arms.

Are you saying that bearing arms is the end itself?

Pretty much, yes.

 

[jimbob]

I think that is correct. I would say that weapons are tools and the right to bear them is only comprehensible if that is for a purpose, i.e. to protect some aspect of freedom beyond that to bear arms.

Are you saying that bearing arms is the end itself?

Pretty much, yes.

Pretty pointless then.

I can understand the argument that they are needed to preserve liberty - I disagree with it, but can understand it.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pretty pointless then.

I can understand the argument that they are needed to preserve liberty - I disagree with it, but can understand it.

Primary use is as toys.

 

[arthwollipot]

I would say that weapons are tools and the right to bear them is only comprehensible if that is for a purpose, i.e. to protect some aspect of freedom beyond that to bear arms.

"Protecting freedom" is as nebulous and undefined a concept as you can think of. The dopes in Oregon think they're "protecting freedom".

Guns are a tool. Like the purpose of a drill is to make holes, the purpose of a gun is to kill. Just like you can use a drill to do other things (like stirring paint), you can also use a gun to do other things (like shooting bottles or paper targets), but its purpose - the thing it was designed to do - is to kill or injure living things. The first guns were designed as weapons of war. They were not designed as "freedom protectors", whatever that even means.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

"Protecting freedom" is as nebulous and undefined a concept as you can think of. The dopes in Oregon think they're "protecting freedom".

Guns are a tool. Like the purpose of a drill is to make holes, the purpose of a gun is to kill. Just like you can use a drill to do other things (like stirring paint), you can also use a gun to do other things (like shooting bottles or paper targets), but its purpose - the thing it was designed to do - is to kill or injure living things. The first guns were designed as weapons of war. They were not designed as "freedom protectors", whatever that even means.

"Protecting freedom" means "letting me continue to do what I damn well please." I have this on good authority. (Specifically the guy who wanted to test the rifle he got for Xmas but didn't want to go out in the wet weather. So he opened fire from his living room window. He didn't remove the screen first. His wife made him open the storm window.)

 

[quadraginta]

<snip>

Guns are a tool. Like the purpose of a drill is to make holes, the purpose of a gun is to kill. Just like you can use a drill to do other things (like stirring paint), you can also use a gun to do other things (like shooting bottles or paper targets), but its purpose - the thing it was designed to do - is to kill or injure living things. The first guns were designed as weapons of war. They were not designed as "freedom protectors", whatever that even means.

This is a good example of the imprecision of many words in English.

The purpose of a drill bit is to make holes. The purpose of a drill is to spin something around. It isn't uncommon to hear the usage "drill motor" instead of "drill", which does remove some of the lack of specificity.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

This is a good example of the imprecision of many words in English.

The purpose of a drill bit is to make holes. The purpose of a drill is to spin something around. It isn't uncommon to hear the usage "drill motor" instead of "drill", which does remove some of the lack of specificity.

"Electric drill" works too. Drill bits don't have much wiring.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

This is a good example of the imprecision of many words in English.

The purpose of a drill bit is to make holes. The purpose of a drill is to spin something around. It isn't uncommon to hear the usage "drill motor" instead of "drill", which does remove some of the lack of specificity.

Total derail but...

I have many devices designed to spin something around, electric screwdrivers, hand whisks, polishers, grinders, lathes (well I don't actually have a lathe, but the point still holds). The only ones that are referred to as drills are the ones designed primarily to make holes even if they can perform other functions.