Is right to bear arms most important?
I read this thread by Devon Eriksen who argues that right to bear arms is paramount. Without that people cannot fight government tyranny. There are other comments with an article from Maj M Caudill, which argued that guns act as a deterrent against using violence. It levels the playing field so that weak and the old are not terrorized by the strong and many. It makes sure that the only option available is reason.
https://x.com/Devon_Eriksen_/status/1823878805812806030
https://x.com/melissajcave/status/1823887797842788783
It felt right but didn’t feel optimistic honestly. It also made me think if civilization means anything or is it still might makes right.
I had many conversations with GPTs and came away with the following points
Yes guns act as a deterrent against using violence but that in a civilized society that shouldn’t be necessary. We can see that widespread availability of guns makes accidental crime happen a lot more. Hence true civilization should progress away from the use of force and rely more on trust in institutions.
But what if institutions are corrupt and people are not rational. Even in that case though it might initially be helpful, soon it will devolve into mafias and shootouts. In this case again the most armed becomes the most powerful but now unaccountable and armed. The solution should be to improve the democratic institutions rather than being armed.
There was an argument that firearms help overcome government tyranny. Though it seems true on the surface the power asymmetry between the government and citizens is too large. So if people revolt against government, it will result in too many casualties. It will result in prolonged violence. So in today’s world democracy, transparency and accountability are better safeguards.
Next I investigated if civilized society can coexist with personal firearms. Switzerland and Finland have relatively higher levels of personal firearms but have low gun violence crime rate which shows it is compatible. But for that the institutions should be strong (better training/safeguards for gun ownership) and lower inequality through stronger social safety nets, strong culture of responsibility.
This definitely makes me more optimistic about the role of institutions to make the use of force as minimal as possible. Yes sometimes use of force is necessary but it is better to focus on strong institutions, transparency and accountability.