(04-12-2024, 08:51 AM)homebiscuit Wrote:

(04-12-2024, 07:21 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: Of course I do not consider my deeply held beliefs as delusions.  If I considered them delusions, I wouldn't believe them.  

But I would say that if I believed that my gun would defend me from a tyrannical government, that would be delusional. 

So when you say, "...it's not so much about the guns themselves, but the mindset of the populace and the beliefs associated with gun ownership..." if you are including the belief that a personal weapon would defend you from a tyrannical government, I would say anyone who believes that is delusional.  And then I take it from your statement that you are saying that what I call delusional nevertheless has some value.  


 

I did state that my thoughts weren’t presented as eloquently as I wished. 

What I’m saying is a government can’t choose to be tyrannical and then magically achieve it. That government would need the support of the military and the police because tyrannical governments rule from the barrel of a gun. 

The point I was making is if a majority of the police and military believe in the right of citizens to bear arms, how does said government achieve its tyranny.

Exactly right.  It's not just the guns themselves, it's what ordinary people in the police force and out everywhere in society believe about those guns, that makes tyranny unlikely.

Similarly, it's not so much the number of people who turned out on January 6 that is important, it's more important to note that the police and national guard they met didn't *believe* their claims about the election. But what if the police and national guard did believe them?

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