Health: I’ve never been accused of being a liberal fantasist before. I’m merely a conservative libertarian who isn’t wedded to ideology over plain common sense. And perhaps being bought up in a country where guns have no cultural significance or legal baggage has given me a different perspective. And I know this comes across as arrogant, but I’m once again left feeling as if I’m holding up the sensible end of this discussion on my own. I’m not suggesting that there’s no reasonable points to be made on the opposing side of the debate, merely that those arguments aren’t being coherently made. Or to put it more simply, I worry I’m just talking into the ether.
But, due to some unfathomable desire I have to continue this masochistic cycle, I’ll respond the the point you made. Guns did stop the Westminster massacre, and there wouldn’t have been any fewer fatalities had there been more guns around. Even had there been enough people in the vicinity with firearms, they would have not been able to stop the speeding car as it mowed down the first four victims, and the officer who was killed would not have survived had he been armed, he was taken by surprise. A nearby armed officer killed him. In an example of a reasonable balance, key sites like the Houses of Parliament are protected by armed officers, and armed response officers are common enough to react promptly and efficiently in the uncommon event of an attack.
And, although this is so painfully obvious it shouldn’t require saying, if there were more guns around in the UK, it wouldn’t have been a car ramming attack with 5 fatalities, but a mass shooting with far more casualties. Obviously. If you’re looking for an example that makes the case for legal gun ownership, an attack where guns would have made things immeasurably worse is a hilariously poor one to choose.
But once I’m again concerned I’ve been too verbose. So I’ll try keep things simple with the summary. Do you think a country, as a whole, is better and safer with widespread legal gun ownership? Because that sounds like what you’re implying, which sounds, frankly, ridiculous.