Countryfried Frank wrote:My point is that you were comparing apples to oranges. A credit card is nothing more than a container for money. A firearm is more than a container for ammunition. It is a tool and a weapon. Voluntarily handing a card to a clerk to facilitate a purchase is different than complying with a request or demand to surrender (temporarily or not) a firearm. FWIW, our representative republic may not be ideal but I believe it is working within rather than without. Strong absolutist statements may work well at political rallies but are probably not ideal in other more diverse settings.
Well, I see your point, but you know money is also a tool and a weapon right? It's a tool to use to get things you want, and it can be used as a weapon as well. For example, anyone can sue anyone for anything, they may not win, but if you can outspend and out lawyer someone, you can use that as an advantage to take them down financially, basically suing them into bankruptcy. At an apartment complex I lived at in 2006-2010, as a matter of course, they will file civil lawsuits on everyone that left. It cost $75.00 per person to file in small claims court. Since many don't show up, the rental company wins and gets a judgment against said person, who then when they apply for a loan, mortgage, etc, is affected by this and will often times pay, even unjustifiably so, in order for them to get the loan, or whatever they want. I consider that an attack, an aggressive move, using money as both a tool and a weapon against me. Of course I went to court, defended myself, won and then counter sued as well, went to court, won again, etc.
So is money a tool? Yes.
Is money a weapon? Yes, it can be used as such.
Is a gun a tool? Yes.
Is a gun a weapon? Yes, by legal definition and purpose.
I don't see much of a difference. In fact, money can be a lot deadlier than a gun. Let's have the US stop spending on forego aid and see third world countries die off without food that we didn't pay to create and ship over to them. If we don't spend the money, people die. Not spending it could be considered a form of weaponizing money. My point is that it's all in how you want to look at it. Guns may be apples and money may be oranges, but their both fruits and thus are more alike than not.
As for " Voluntarily handing a card to a clerk to facilitate a purchase is different than complying with a request or demand to surrender (temporarily or not) a firearm."
I agree.
As for "our representative republic may not be ideal but I believe it is working within rather than without."
I think it works for the most part, but not ideally. Nothing is perfect, and it could be improved in many ways and in many areas.
"Strong absolutist statements may work well at political rallies but are probably not ideal in other more diverse settings."
I think that depends. You need to carefully pick choose your battles.
For example, If someone comes to confiscate the guns of each American, some people will give them over without a fight for their freedom, while others will be very absolutist and go all "James Yeager" on them regardless of the outcome. To each their own on whatever they decide to do or not do; but for me, there's a line in the sand for a few things, and those things are worth fighting for or dying for at any cost.
I think absolutism has it's place, albeit a very limited place, it does have one. (You know the old saying - if you don't stand for anything, you''ll fall for everything) What that place is, where it is, and what it's for, that depends on each individual. I can't really say what that is for anyone except myself, what their line in the same should be, etc.
While I'm in no hurry to rush head first into it, I'm not afraid of death at all. An absolute for me is that I won't suffer imprisonment, slavery, tyranny, torture, etc, all of which are far worse fates than death; and all of which come when guns are removed from a society that could formerly and legally own them.