this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
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(As a general concept of how a society should run, not intended as a US-specific question.)

I sometimes see people on the internet saying that giving people easy access to guns is too risky and there should be stricter gun control, while simultaneously wanting to abolish the police? I'm just confused on what people really want?

You cant both abolish the police and then also disarm the citizens, gotta pick one. So which is it, internet? Self-policing with guns? Or reform the police?

[Please state what country you're in]

::: spoiler


(Also its funny how the far-right of the US is both pro-gun and pro-police, I'm confused by that as well) :::

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[–] char_stats@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) (2 children)

I might be wrong, but I believe ONE OF the reasons why American police is so shitty is because every citizen might be—and often is—carrying a gun. This causes stress in the police force, higher chances of casualties among them as compared to other countries, so it builds feelings of fear and "acting first, asking later" in most situations.

Sure, many of them are also power-tripping assholes on top of that.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe they shouldn't become cops then.

[–] char_stats@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 hours ago

Yep! I wasn't justifying them.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago

Indirectly. They use the fact that people could be armed to justify their behavior, especially the overuse of 'he's got a gun' when the person doesn't. But many people interact with other people in dangerous situations while attempting to deescalate which the police tend to use the possibility as justification for escalating violence.

Mental health professional: talk down the person who is having a crisis

Police: shoot while claiming they are afraid for their life from an unarmed 12 year old