Huffington Post
2. Protection
Notably, the percentage of Americans who say they own a gun
for protection has risen precipitously at the same time that crime has
fallen dramatically. For this reason, it is difficult to make the
argument that the perceived need for "protection" is based in reality,
on actual probabilities of meaningful threat. Instead, we must wonder
whether the urge to own a gun for personal security rests more on a
different, less concrete understanding of what constitutes a threat, and
how best to handle that threat, whether it is imagined or real.
Guns
give people the fantasy of control, not the reality of control, so to
understand the firearms ownership obsession, we need to appreciate what
fantasies are at work. For example, there is a significant fear among
whites of black youths. But most violence involving young black males is
seemingly geographically specific, committed against other black males,
who more than likely know each other personally. This reality removes
any reasonable argument for stand-your-ground laws, concealed weapons
laws, open carry laws, and
let's-allow-guns-in-schools-parks-churches-and-bars laws.
