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Why Don’t Survivors of Gun Massacres Shoot Those Responsible for Gun Proliferation?
I didn’t approve of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. It was a stupid thing to do, an overreaction to a comedian’s jokes. That said, I’m not confused by what happened. Smith did it for a reason — a stupid reason but not a mysterious one.
In Smith’s mind, Rock was publicly insulting his wife. Repeatedly. Will Smith lost his sense of proportion and his temper — and slapped Chris Rock.
I know why I don’t shoot people. Hey, I have a temper! But I think guns are barbaric. I won’t buy one and I won’t shoot one.
But suppose you aren’t me. Suppose you are someone who believes that responsible people should be allowed to own and shoot guns. Perhaps you believe this within limits. For example, you oppose ownership of AR-15s and similar weapons. You think a person shouldn’t be able to purchase a gun until 21. Maybe you favor a waiting period — so an otherwise sensible person won’t purchase a gun while angry and use it before he returns to his senses. Maybe you don’t want people who are clinically depressed to be allowed to purchase guns; maybe you lost a loved one to suicide.
In any case, there are many people who own guns but believe in restrictions and might be angry that, for example, an 18 year old could buy two AR-15 and murder a bunch…
