[lit-ideas] Re: Mark Steyn on Gun Control
- From: Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:37:48 -0300
Paul Stone wrote:
"the problem is not that a lot of people have guns, it's that a lot of
people think they NEED guns, WANT to have guns and want to USE guns against
people."
Picking up on Paul's point, what I find particularly disturbing is the
increased rationalization for using guns on the basis of what people feel.
That is, in many parts of the US, people have the right to use a gun if they
feel threatened, regardless of whether this feeling is justified. So we
have the remarkable "If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be 6 feet
under by now" comment lauded by Lawrence. At no point is there a question
of whether the approach of the intruders was reasonable grounds for
believing that she was in mortal danger, only that she felt the intruders
intended mortal harm and so had the right to use deadly force. If we are
going to be logical about these matters, then we have to put feelings in
perspective. Feelings are not justifications for action and so if we are
concerned about the rule of law, then we cannot decide the matter of the
justified use of deadly force on the grounds of whether people feel
threatened. On the other hand, if we are going to abandon the rule of law
whenever the feeling comes over us, then there is more than a bit of irony
in insisting that this is justified by a right granted by law.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
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