view the rest of the comments
politics
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Rules:
- Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.
Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.
Example:
- Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
- Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
- No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
- Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
- No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
That's all the rules!
Civic Links
• Congressional Awards Program
• Library of Congress Legislative Resources
• U.S. House of Representatives
Partnered Communities:
• News
Hey, hey. This comes from a place of fear and that's okay, but recognize it for what it is. Buying guns in fear is what gets people hurt. If you choose to buy a gun for the first time, take proficiency courses. Learn the legal responsibilities that come with it. If you're genuinely concerned, protect yourself in a responsible way. That may or may not be with a firearm. There are many ways to protect yourself. Take martial arts classes for instance.
This may seem like a wild suggestion, but try therapy. It did wonders for my anxiety. Seriously. I don't worry as much. I don't live in fear. I have friends ALL across the political spectrum. We get along fine. We treat each other with love and respect. The news and media drums up fear and excitement for attention. It's what sells ads.
You do you. But perhaps you’re coming from a place of denial. Therapy can help with that too.
I won't rule out your point. It's good to be pragmatic. But I do know that fear isn't a good leader. I'll continue with my therapy. It does help. I recommend it to everyone.
Under normal circumstances I think your advice would be appropriate. I just happen to think these aren’t normal circumstances. Sometimes the danger is real and warrants increased vigilance. I’m certainly not suggesting people buy firearms they don’t know how to use, on a whim. I’m suggesting they consider investing time and effort to become proficient with them. It’s not about shooting people. It’s about having a credible deterrent.
That's fair. I think we agree that it's important to emphasize proficiency and responsibility. It needs to be explicit. Otherwise, it just plays into media extremism.
Yeah, don't count on that poster to listen to you and act responsibly. I do appreciate what you wrote for the rest of the readers, though.
Ok, now you're no better than the far-right wackos. Don't get offended for the therapy bit. Stop with the stigma. It was a genuine piece of advice. If it's not for me, a graceful "not for me, thanks" would have sufficed, not that reactionary "no u!", which is in alignment with your original fear-based comment.
Step away from the internet news for a bit. People tend to build these scenarios in their minds when they're logged on 24/7.
I agree that mental healthcare is important and not to be stigmatized.
The only thing I’m trying to encourage is preparedness over complacency. Thinking through the worst case scenario before it happens isn’t fear, it’s the beginning of assurance. It’s how you avoid freezing when the bad thing happens. Maybe that doesn’t mean guns. But it does mean I’m taking these overt threats of violence seriously and I think it’s prudent for others to as well.