Comment by omginternets | Hacker News Reader

Comment by omginternets | Hacker News Reader

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I recently moved to CT, and decided to get a firearms permit. CT law is relatively restrictive in the wake of Sandy Hook, and one is now required to take a firearms safety course before submitting the paperwork. There were about 30 of us altogether: roughly 50% men and 50% women, 7-10 Black classmates, 2 East-Asians, a handful (maybe 5?) Latinos, and the rest White.

Towards the end of the day, I got to talking with some classmates, and finally with one of the instructors. After a bit of chit-chat, I mentioned that I was surprised to see so many ostensibly different people in a gun club. He replied that the classroom composition was more or less representative of the gun club's constituents. After pressing him a bit, he conceded that it was representative of those doing firearm certifications, but only marginally more diverse than the club's membership. After a bit more chit-chat, he told me he was a lifelong democrat. Further, he said, "About 10% of the members here are crazy Trump-voting nutjobs, but they're kind. About 50% of them are traditional republicans, who didn't tell me who they voted for. And the remaining 40% either told me they were Democrats or independents, or we never talked politics."

I told him I was very surprised by all of this, and he told me it was recent. In his estimation, it all started in 2016.

I lived abroad from 2010 to 2020, and this is not how I remember things. I don't know what conclusion to draw from this, but it seems like something is very much afoot.

People no longer trust their government, on a fundamental level. There has always been some degree of skepticism, but now trust has broken down completely. Politicians were always seen as crooked, but they were at least somewhat capable of "keeping the lights on." Increasingly in recent years, it has become clear they can barely even do this anymore. Add to this an accompanying complete breakdown in trust for institutions like the media and academia, and you have half your answer.

The other half is that shit's bad. Corona, soaring wealth inequality, tumbling quality of physical goods and art/entertainment. Everything feels like it's a hollowed out facade now, whether it's the job you're working, the food you're buying, or the movie you're watching.

Put these two together, and you get a population that is being forced to realize The End is coming. Or at least A end. Chaos and upheaval is at hand, and the government might not be able (or interested in) protecting you. In such a circumstance, buying a gun and learning to use it is one of many obvious responses.

> People no longer trust their government, on a fundamental level.

> The End is coming.

> Chaos and upheaval is at hand,

Stop your horses cowboy. There is a big difference between political disillusion and "The End of the Times". The USA is a highly developed country, a flawed one, but with many resources to fix the current situation.

> buying a gun and learning to use it is one of many obvious responses.

To move to another country would be the real obvious response if you expect yours to go into chaos. To buy a gun and expect something positive out of it seems quite a Hollywood-inspired disillusion.

Emigration is not a realistic option for most people, and it becomes harder as the need becomes more obvious.

> To move to another country would be the real obvious response if you expect yours to go into chaos.

Which country would you recommend?

Switzerland seems pretty sane, at least from a distance.

It seems like you're responding to my last sentence, and yeah, sure.

I didn't want to get into the "why" because it's hard to move past superficial/general statements like this (though you and I are mostly in agreement). What's less clear to me is exactly where this is all headed.

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