A lot of progressives and radicals in the US are making the mistake now of downplaying the utility of owning a firearm, many of which are saying it's better to learn first aid.
"I've never used a gun to take or protect a life, but I have used first aid."
Learn first aid, by all means please. Don't get a firearm (or knife or pepper spray or baton) if you can't learn to use it or doing so would be too risky to you. But looking at the past 20+ years of society and thinking those rules will apply under a rabid fascist regime if pure folly.
First aid can only be rendered if someone is there to drive the attackers away. If fascists jump you or start shooting at you, knowing how to bandage a grievous wound means very little if said fascists are still actively attacking.
"Not everyone needs to learn self-defense. That's what community self-defense means."
Not everyone can, but everyone who is able should learn the means of defending themselves and others. You are part of the community, and you too need to defend it. Deferring it to some nebulous third party (even if it's "antifa") is how you get warlords or are left with no one to protect you.
You (yes you personally) have some responsibility to learn to take care of yourself, be it disaster prep or self-defense, because if you aren't prepared, you become a burden on those who are. You become a drain on critical and limited resources. Yes, mutual aid exists, but we can stretch that much further and take better care of those who can't fully care for themselves if everyone who is able first takes care of themselves.
Don't get caught in a dangerous situation. Don't do so unarmed. Don't get injured. You have to learn all these skills. If you don't, it's okay. People will still be there for you. But please try.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social
Perhaps it's who I'm following (and what does that say), but there are far far far more people talking about why you don't need a gun or other form of self-defense than there are who are advocating for it.
Times are changing. We need to adapt with them.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social
"I don't think I could enact violence."
Just say that. Don't moralize about weapon ownership or downplay very real threats.
"I'm not mentally well enough to have one."
A some point the threat of violence from fascists will exceed the threat of self-harm. Only you know when that will be, but it may be sooner than you expect.
"Guns are scary."
The future is scary. It doesn't mean we won't have to face it.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social
@hakan_geijer
"Just say that. Don't moralize about weapon ownership or downplay very real threats." Yes, this is what I haven't liked about the you-don't-need-a-gun posts. Some of them could use a good home on r/confidentlyincorrect.
That being said... we Americans send our children to schools that have metal detectors, that run active shooter drills. A run for groceries can turn violent. Just going to work can end in bloodshed. My first encounter with gun violence happened at 19. For many of us, it's even earlier than that.
So it may be there's an element of collective trauma from our stupid, violent gun culture that is having an effect here? I think condensing that to "guns are scary" trivializes that a bit.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from regenerate@kolektiva.social
@regenerate I'm not trying to trivialize that, but I did condense all the various aversions to "scary" because it doesn't matter where the aversion comes from. If aversion prevents one from learning a skill or tool that could save them, the origin is little use to them if they end up dead.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social
@hakan_geijer When gun discourse comes up I'm reminded of the attack on Hypercacher in '15, where one of the employees actually got hold of a gun, but couldn't use it and got murdered (I think the first reports said the safety was on).
I'm not sure he'd lived if he'd had gun training, but I'm sure he'd had a better chance.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from Mabande@mastodon.social
Opening a whole different can of worms here, but wasn't the hypercacher attack the one where the terrorists got their guns via a DGSI informant to begin with?
Edit: corrected DGSE to DGSI and found a source, they got their guns from a neonazi who was an informant: https://www.francesoir.fr/societe-faits-divers/hyper-cacher-claude-hermant-figure-de-lextreme-droite-et-fournisseur-des-armes
@Mabande @hakan_geijer
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from Verna@ni.hil.ist
@Mabande the wiki page said it jammed, but I'm not sure if that means "an actual jam" or of that's a layperson term for "couldn't fire" meaning safety.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social
@hakan_geijer
Let's think of it not as "guns are scary" but "the unknown is scary".
Over the years, I learned about guns and I now have advanced instructor certifications.
I've also learned enough first aid and CPR to earn the same state certification that peace officers receive (for "load and go" via CCPOST). I refresh this training as often as practical.
Politically I lean solidly left, and I'm glad to have the training.
I think most people would find the world much less scary by learning how to handle and use guns safely, and by being able to keep someone alive long enough for an ambulance to arrive.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from johnlogic@sfba.social
@johnlogic I've also taught first aid courses, and yes the unknown makes people apprehensive, but no one is likely to get killed in my workshops or by taking a first aid kit home. I think guns definitely get a higher ranking on the scary scale
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social
@hakan_geijer > Perhaps it's who I'm following (and what does that say)
Probably. Pretty much everyone I follow is either talking about other things or actively encouraging ownership of such tools.
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from lispi314@udongein.xyz
@lispi314 many have been USians posting it, but the reposts have coke from euros who even among radicals are often naively anti gun
=> More informations about this toot | More toots from hakan_geijer@kolektiva.social This content has been proxied by September (3851b).Proxy Information
text/gemini