Ask HN: Gun control in US in light of Russian invasion of Ukraine | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Gun control in US in light of Russian invasion of Ukraine

8 pointsbaremetal29 comments

The Ukrainian gov has handed out 10k automatic weapons to its citizens to fight the Russian invasion. How does this jive with your thoughts on gun control in the US?

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The right to carry a AK-47 into Walmart is not the same as a government handing out weapons to defend from invasion.

What if it's your government that is the aggressor? What then? Foreign and domestic.

It’s absolutely delusional to think that armed citizens could contend with a modernized military, especially in the US. That time has passed.

Take for example how well BLM protestors managed against lightly militarized police—and they get scrap compared to current military tech.

This argument may make sense in less developed nations but it’s time for legislation in the US to wake up to the 21st century.

So it’s “absolutely delusional” to arm Ukrainian citizens against the Russian army too?

False dichotomy.

Reread: The right to carry a AK-47 into Walmart is not the same as a government handing out weapons to defend from invasion.

> It’s absolutely delusional to think that armed citizens could contend with a modernized military

I think the Ukrainian conflict has shown this to be much more nuanced than your absolutist remark allows. Not to mention the Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam conflicts, all showing how a modernized military can indeed be fought using less-than-sophisticated means.

It's a war in Ukraine, this is a world away from "muh freedom" to take autonatic weapon with you to Starbucks

Do people in US really take their AKs into Starbucks' against owners' wishes?

It's happened at least once.

https://twitter.com/SykesCharlie/status/1159110216958566401

How do you know that’s against the owners wishes?

And open carry is legal in many states. It was legal in CA until black people (e.g. Black Panthers) started doing it.

Because I can read. And yes, we know the only thing which would make a Republican want to restrict guns is the "wrong people" having them.

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2013/open-letter-from-ho...

It’s not the Republicans asking for more gun control.

If they have, it’s rare to the point of not being an issue, and certainly not “automatic” weapons as the user said above. That said, when someone uses a phrase like “muh freedums” or “freeze peach” to make fun of people defending their constitutional rights, I immediately dismiss them as a petty authoritarian.

Can you clarify what your question here actually is? Otherwise it appears to be baiting folks with a hot-button issue.

things are unstable right now, and things change fast. we should prepare ourselves.

"Normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a cognitive bias which leads people to disbelieve or minimize threat warnings. Consequently, individuals underestimate the likelihood of a disaster, when it might affect them, and its potential adverse effects." - Wikipedia

Are you afraid of Canada or Mexico?

things can change quickly. i dont know whats going to happen. thats kinda the point.

I have trouble even understanding the question.

What kind of parallels do you see between the two situations ?

perhaps if the ukrainians had already been armed and practiced in gun safety and usage, they wouldve been an even harder target.

Something about that well-regulated militia I guess. But if you’re worried about a horde of crazed Canucks attacking from the north, no problem. Just give them the Stanley Cup and they’ll go home.

If this is a legitimate question, which I doubt, it’s better phrased about the views of Canadians and Mexicans on gun control as the US serves as Russia in this scenario.

The two really have nothing to do with each other. Weird question.

When Mexico masses troops on the border you'll be glad your weapons are unregistered?

I don't see the connection here with the Ukraine and gun control.

All you guys feigning ignorance , it's gross.

I think the question is obvious, are you more supportive of lessening gun control after seeing Russia invade its neighbor Ukraine, because a heavily armed population is going to be harder to take over.

Why would the guns be unregistered, your response doesn't make any sense.

> All you guys feigning ignorance , it's gross.

You might be the ignorant one here, the history and geography of the US and Ukraine have nothing in common. It's like saying the US should sell heroin at walmart because you can buy aspirin in Romania

> lessening gun control

It's a war zone, do you expect people to go protest in Ukraine against unregistered ak47s used by people defending their own country from an invasion ?

> the question is obvious, are you more supportive of lessening gun control

The US already is by far the country with the most weapon per capita. And probably the least country susceptible of being invaded.

People are supportive of civilians defending their country, not meal time six larping and posing on reddit with their ar-15

things can change fast in this day and age.

Presumably gun control means some forms of restrictions and registration programs, not outlawing of gun ownership. I really don't see a connection.

I don't know the laws in Ukraine but if people had guns in the first place, they would have much higher advantage defending.

Don’t you think their chance of defending their country would be a lot higher with deliberate military spending vs an untrained ad-hoc citizen militia?

You can plan against enemy army and their equipment. You cannot plan against untrained militia possessing dangerous weapons.

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