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Optical illusion (i.redd.it)
submitted 2 months ago by Beep@lemmus.org to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world
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[-] glitchdx@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

Arguing that the populace shouldn't have guns, and pointing to the usa as an example, is arguing that our fascist government should have a monopoly on violence. Every successful "gun control" law has been put in place in response to persecuted minorities and activist groups having guns. For a famous example, see the Black Panthers.

Peaceful protests are impotent unless backed by a genuine threat of violence. See how little the recent "No Kings" protests have accomplished vs the death of that one health insurance ceo.

Now, I am in favor of fewer guns, but the order of operations is important. Let's start with disarming the police and abolishing ice. So long as my friends/family/neighbors/whatevers are being abducted by masked thugs in broad daylight, it is my right and my duty to defend with lethal force.

[-] oce@jlai.lu 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

See how little the recent “No Kings” protests have accomplished vs the death of that one health insurance ceo.

What did the murder of this CEO accomplish?

[-] witten@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You're a big tough guy, so I'm pretty sure you've heard of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. One of the premises of that book is that you should attack your enemy where they're weakest, not where they're strongest. Makes sense, right? Well where do you think the Trump regime is strongest? Put another way, who do you think would win in a shootout between, say, the U.S. Army and a ragtag bunch of armed leftists?

So if we can't fight the regime where they're strongest, where can we fight them? Economically. We can stop giving our hard-earned money to the companies that prop up the regime. We can do work stoppages to halt the engines that power the regime. And we can raise awareness of these issues (yes, sometimes by protests but also with other tactics) so this becomes a mass movement that has the power to actually topple the regime's pillars of support.

[-] Skankhunt420@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yeahbwe should just make a campfire and talk to them while we are at it maybe get scoutmaster Dan to play the guitar for us while we all figure our peaceful solutions together.

They murder us in the street at protests, idk if you have seen it on tv. They are singlehandedly crashing the economy on purpose so they can extract as much from it for themselves as they can.

I would love for school shootings to stop and I think if a kid gets a gun there is an adult or likely a few that fucked up and shouldn't have given the kid a gun.

But taking them away from all of us isnt going to get the north side of Saint Louis or the south side of Chicago to just give them up this is what I don't get you think when they made meth illegal it just disappeared? Can't find it anymore right?

This whole take the guns away stance is them brainwashing you into believing that they will do right once you don't have guns anymore.

They aren't raking them away from the police. They aren't taking them away from ice. And the IRS. Until they do that, fuck them I will have guns and I will suggest others do too. Just keep them away from your kids

[-] witten@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

First, where did I say anything about talking to the fascists? Or say anything about taking away people's guns? Seriously, I wonder who the hell you're arguing against, because it sure isn't me.

And yes, the regime is murdering people in the streets and breaking the economy. But only the parts of the economy that aren't propping up their regime. What do you think would happen if they could no longer find hotels for the ICE agents they send around the country to harass and murder people? If nobody would feed the agents or launder their uniforms? Or rent them cars? Or fly the airplanes needed to send kidnapped people to foreign countries?

Our strength as the masses is in our economic leverage. And it's about damned time we played to our strengths instead of trying to meet the enemy at theirs.

[-] Skankhunt420@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 months ago

Can you tell me a single time in written history that an empire the size of the United States was toppled by the people without violence?

The world isn't a fairytale and I really wish it wasn't that way either but acting like it isn't won't help.

[-] witten@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

First please list off the characteristics of the United States' size that makes it immune to the forces that brought about other nonviolent revolutions. I'll wait.

[-] Skankhunt420@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

There are some that gained independence so that's fair you're right.

The soviet union singing revolution ones were probably the most comparable I'd guess as far as size goes. But half of the soviet union starving at the time, which makes for an easier revolution when your government is incompetent and already being dissolved slowly inside of itself.

Same with Britain during ghandi, they were in the middle of WW2 and forced the Indian people into it and thats what made the calls for independence even stronger and being in the middle of a world war they were just tired of dealing with it.

So sure, if you're government is already in the middle of giving up hunger strikes and singing national anthems together can get the job done.

Resisting US government control as it stands right now is more akin to Rome or Myanmar with how it will play out.

Also as far as size goes: more size = more people but also equals more cops, more mitary, more federal agents, etc.

Britain didn't have an entire portion of the country full of forces who lived there ready to jump when Ghandi was doing hunger strikes. But boy oh boy, the USA sure the fuck does and doesn't care if it would kill every single last one of us.

[-] witten@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

On the subject of starving, we're of course not there yet (at the same scale). But have you seen what's going on in this country with affordability under this regime? Things on that front aren't really going in a favorable direction...

But I think your broader point is that there were often "mitigating" factors coincident with any nonviolent revolution in history then helped nudge it along, and with that I would agree. The question for us is whether any such factors (maybe ones specific to our country instead of specific to these past revolutions) are either present here now or about to be present here.

I will pick on your point about more size equaling more cops, etc. The U.S. is one of the biggest countries by area, but it ranks below South Korea, Iran, and Lithuania for police officers per capita. In fact, I'd argue that because of its size, there just aren't enough police to patrol the entire area of the country.

Now on the subject of military and federal agents, it's a different story of course. But that's where we get back to strengths and weaknesses. I'm advocating that we don't mount an armed revolution in part because the U.S. government is so incredibly armed to the teeth. That's their strength. But when people are boycotting businesses or refusing to work or engaging in work slowdowns or any number of other non-violent tactics... How does a giant military do anything against that—without losing any scraps of support it still has? We are taking their strength, and making it useless against us.

[-] BenLeMan@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

So where is the well-regulated militia defending the United States with their huge arsenal of guns? We're not hearing anything about valiant protectors of the constitution taking up arms against the domestic enemies that are ICE, MAGA, etc...it's almost as if the whole spiel about needing guns to resist a tyrannical government was BS all along. 🤔

[-] CascadiaRo@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 months ago

Man, I see this sort of thing commented all the time as some sort of “gotcha” and really have to wonder what it is you’re envisioning.

Put yourself in the shoes of a firearm owner for a moment. Evidently, you believe the US has passed a tipping point where violent resistance is necessary.

Where are you going with your gun and who are you shooting at?

[-] Nalivai@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

And just like that, we went complete route from "without guns we can't fight fascism" to "guns are actually completely useless in fighting fascism" in two comments.

[-] CascadiaRo@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

US - 1765 to 1784

EU - 1939 to 1945

Vietnam - 1955 to 1975

Yes, I’m aware that only one of these cases was literal fascism.

You can see my other comment in this chain, but firearms are the “last stand” tools to fight oppression. We’re in the midst of a particularly sensitive stage and, in my opinion, haven’t crossed the “tipping point” where a violent response would be wise or justified.

[-] Nalivai@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

Bloody hell, are you for fucking real, WWII, seriously? The global war fought by armies has something to do with public having guns?
Fucking Vietnam? US losing a military campaign on the other side of the world is a testament of how useful it is for Americans to have guns? And then american fucking revolution, that I can't even imagine how to tie in.
I just hope for the sake of sanity that you're trolling.

[-] CascadiaRo@lemmy.zip -1 points 2 months ago

I do concede that WWII was not fought and won by armed civilians, I was largely responding to “without guns we can’t fight fascism” and can see that, in the greater context of the thread, that might be less relevant. I do think the French Resistance would have been better equipped if they hadn’t had to rely on smuggled or captured weapons. A full scale invasion is going to pan out differently when most civilians are able to shoot back or organize into militia.

Vietnam is a testament to the fact that multiple military superpowers can still lose to a lesser armed (but still armed) populace.

And then the american fucking revolution, that I can’t even imagine how to tie in

This is where you really have me stumped and should maybe do some reading into US history, fighting this war is the foundational experience that led to the creation of the second amendment. Here’s a good place to start:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord

this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2026
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