• YaksDC@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    I can’t imagine what it must be like going through life being afraid of everything all the time and also having a fantasy in which you get to kill someone.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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        8 months ago

        My brother has a neighbor who regularly yells crazy rants at the neighbors on his lawn while holding his gun in the air. The cops have been called and claim they can do nothing. This would be in Atlanta, so I’m not exactly shocked…

    • CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      It’s not fear. The guy in the picture walks around with guns because he wants to, not because he’s scared. He wants to be challenged. He wants to be able to pull out his gun and shoot someone.

      These people are not “scared” as much as they want to be feared.

      They want an excuse to kill. That’s it.

      • ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I’m surrounded by it in Texas and you’re 100% correct. These guys fetishize their guns and the idea of killing people. You’ll note after being around a 2A nut that they aren’t discussing things that worry them. Most of the language that you hear is along the lines of “I wish they would” or “I’d pop a motherfucker for trying that”.

        They are genuinely looking for an excuse to legally murder someone and you should not feel safe around them.

        • LillyPip@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          It’s still fear. They’re just hiding their fear behind machismo. Like bullies always do.

        • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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          8 months ago

          Someone could just pull this guy’s own back-gun and plug him at the grocery store. Looks like he could barely reach it without cramping up his old man arms. Though I assume he has to remove it before sitting in his truck all day.

        • flerp@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          You realize that people can lie to themselves and others and often rationalize reasons for their actions that are not the real reasons for their actions right?

        • limelight79@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          I think there’s an element of fear, too. The ones I’ve heard from are absolutely certain that they WILL be attacked. Someone WILL invade their home, and they will have to defend themselves. It’s not “if”, it’s “when”.

          I assume these are the people that shoot someone who pulled into the wrong driveway by accident.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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        8 months ago

        They want to be feared because they live in fear themselves. That’s why these assholes keep murdering people for pulling into their driveway by mistake. They’re terrified all the time. Conservative media has made them fear everything and they think the only answer is to show that they’re tougher than everyone else.

        • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I’ve noticed recently a lot of conservative 2A people using the phrase “be ready to flip the switch” a lot recently. Usually it’s in the context of flipping the switch to killing people. And it always seems to be in a domestic context–they aren’t talking about enlisting in a foreign war.

        • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          They want to be feared

          They also confuse people being in fear of them with people respecting them.

      • IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Science disagrees with you:

        “Specifically, the research shows that people with conservative tendencies have a larger amygdala and a smaller anterior cingulate than other people. The amygdala – typically thought of as the “primitive brain” – is responsible for reflexive impulses, like fear. The anterior cingulate is thought to be responsible for courage and optimism. This one-two punch could be responsible for many of the anecdotal claims that conservatives “think differently” from others.”

        https://www.salon.com/2010/12/29/conservative_brains/

      • suction@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Not wrong, but the foundation for that is also form of “fear”, the wish to be feared stems from the inner fear of looking weak and vulnerable. This is not a person who’s at ease with himself or of the path he’s chosen. He’s hurting, a lot. Even knowing all this, it’s still hard to feel empathy because of the way he chooses to deal with his psychological issues.

    • Nougat@fedia.io
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      8 months ago

      A friend that I’ve known for like fifteen years - I found out last year that he has guns. He just doesn’t ever talk about them.

      • otacon239@feddit.de
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        8 months ago

        Same here. Knew a guy who conceal carried with a license for like 4 years before I ever found out. People who truly do it for defense rarely want people to know they have it.

        • brbposting
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          8 months ago

          And they’re so fkin somber about them too.

          “Doesn’t it make you feel powerful?”

          ‘Not at all.’

    • Kalkaline @leminal.space
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      8 months ago

      The way you say “get to kill someone” instead of “you’re forced to kill someone to protect yourself and other innocent lives” really ties up this comment well. It is exactly the mindset of the open carry crowd.

    • teft@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Especially someone as big as that. That guy looks like he is well over six feet tall. Who the hell is he scared of?

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      LiberalGunNut™ here! I’m more than a little tired of liberals calling us “afraid”. I have a Colt .45 on my desk at all times and a RIA .45 on my headboard. Not the slightest bit scared, or even mildly worried. But I’ve had some crazy shit come in my front door, more than once. Ever suffered a home invasion? How about by a bear? (Yes, both really happened, and more.) I also carry in the woods and on the water. Given that I’m legal, why not?

      I avoid places where I might be scared, especially when armed. Who risks 20-to-life in a concrete and steel box if your case goes pear shaped?!

      No one says, “Look at that fool with his kitchen fire extinguisher! LOL, bet he even checks it every 6-months and logs it. What a wuss!” (I have 2 other extinguishers as well, at camp and in my truck.)

      This guy? Hell I know. Bet this, he’s one of those who has no understanding of self-defense law. Justified shooting is a far narrower line than most think, regardless of one’s attitude towards guns.

      In any case, open carry people are plain stupid. The photographer already has the drop on him. All I see are 3 free guns.

      • ericatty@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        Honestly, Your last two sentences are what I noticed.

        Someone could easily sneak behind, or use another forward distraction to grab that butt gun while that guy’s hands are both occupied carrying other things.

        He doesn’t look prepared at all to actually protect anything. Given his size, he should put all the guns, his cookie (or whatever he bought), and his keys in a bag so he has at least one hand free to defend himself. He could do more damage hulk smashing than trying to hit something with a tiny projectile.

      • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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        8 months ago

        The fact you need a gun with you at all times says enough about how scared you are.

        If you need a gun to feel safe, you live in a shithole country.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      8 months ago

      Bet he’s one of the people who believed antifa would show up in small towns and destroy everything in 2020.

  • Empricorn@feddit.nl
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    8 months ago

    Ignoring the gun violence crisis in America aspect, people who make 1 single thing their entire personality are so annoying. You like guns, whatever. But you now have to always be wearing one and even your clothes need to always feature guns!? Trying to talk to this dude about anything else must be exhausting…

    • Arbiter@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Don’t worry, I’m sure he’d be happy to talk about his political views.

      • Asafum@feddit.nl
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        8 months ago

        SLEEPY JOE HAD TOO MUCH ENERGY! HE’S ON THAT CHINA 5G VACCINE! NANCY PELOSI! COMMUNISM! MURICA WENT DOWN THE DRAIN WHEN BROWN PEOPLE! ANTIFA DID 9/11! BLACK LIVES MATTER IS IRANIAN PSYOPS!

        We all know his politics lol

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      8 months ago

      I bet he has lots of other interests. He’s just really afraid of people too, so he needs to let everyone know he has guns so they won’t pick on him.

      Such a dainty snowflake packaged into a giant, soft body LOL.

      • flerp@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        I bet he has lots of other interests.

        Such as watching youtube videos about flat earth, vaccines, lizard people, anti-lgbt, and those durn libruls

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      8 months ago

      You know I won’t knock people who are just very passionate about something. Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t wear so many plain boring shirts and projected some of my interests more into the world. Maybe it would spark some good conversations… You know, like campaign finance & election reform! WOOO!

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      8 months ago

      He keeps it clenched shut at ALL times in case one of those GAYS gets the drop on him. He can shoot the back holstered gun to blow their cock clean off before it gets too close to his precious hole.

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      8 months ago

      3 you can see, I would bet he’s also wearing at least one ankle holster.

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        8 months ago

        What’s wild is it would be so incredibly easy to just walk up behind him and grab the gun in the small of his back while shoving him down. He’s dead from his own firearm before he can even process what has happened.

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      8 months ago

      Are we going to ignore the 30 keys? I own 3 cars but don’t carry a key to the third one on a regular basis as it’s undergoing some extended maintenance. It’s got to be slightly exhausting to carry 20 extra lbs of crap on your waist.

    • SomeAmateur
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      8 months ago

      I carry when I can. But concealed inside the waistband like a responsible fucking adult. You’re absolutely right

      • SendMePhotos@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I always see open carry as a large target. IF I was the bad guy, I would go for the people with visible guns first.

        • aidan@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I understand open carry from a political statement perspective, but now that many states have constitutional carry, if you’re just carrying for protection it should probably be concealed.

          • The Menemen!@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            I’ll never be not amazed by this kind of discussion, however often I read them. :) Makes me a little happy to be on he other side of the atlantic ocean.

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            8 months ago

            If you’re out in the wilderness hunting or in a place where you can be hunted (by bears, mountain lions etc) that’s understandable. Once I came across a hiker in the montains with a glock on his backpack shoulder strap for easy access in case of emergency. Nicest dude ever.

            I like the legal protection for people like that but the downside is it allows stuff like this post to occur in public places.

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          8 months ago

          When a stick-up kid knows a mark has a gun that is just a pay day. They aren’t going to do the stick up and then decide to get their gun out, they had that gun on you before you ever knew they were there.

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        8 months ago

        This isn’t paranoia. A paranoid gun “enthusiast” wouldn’t put a gun where someone can steal it and shoot him in the back of the head.

        This is rank stupidity.

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        8 months ago

        Bro, even the reddest of rednecks knows better than to stick a gun in the back of their jeans. Absent everything else, it’s a good way to get killed with your own gun.

        Something is wrong beyond culture with this dude.

          • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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            8 months ago

            God, it’s even funnier having lived in Knoxville. It’s basically just a giant suburb with a university, but you’ll hear the r u r a l s talk about it like it’s the wrong neighborhood in Tijuana.

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    8 months ago

    Just remember that guy is like 5 times more likely to kill himself (or accidentally kill someone else) than to use one of those guns in a legitimate self defense scenario…

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    8 months ago

    I hope that back gun isn’t loaded. If so, he would be the easiest person to rob on earth.

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    8 months ago

    Nobody going to point out the ridiculous key ring? OK, maybe he needs all those keys for his job. Why the hell would you carry that around?!

    This poor man desperately needs to feel important, needs to look important.

    And for those of you not into gun culture, this guy is a wild outlier. There’s nothing practical or sensible being rigged like that. You won’t find anyone teaching or condoning this sort of thing, only as an example of what not to do.

    • jballs
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      8 months ago

      There’s no way that many keys fit into his pocket. So he has no choice but to carry them everywhere. His only other option would be to clip them to his belt, but that would leave less room for guns.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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      It only takes a few “wild outliers.”

      Also, there should not be a “culture” devoted to an inanimate object.

      • flicker@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Instead of a “culture,” think of it as a “fandom.”

        He’s the equivalent of a person wearing a ton of anime stuff in public. Or a Trekkie wearing a uniform.

        Nerd!

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          8 months ago

          I legit love this idea and am going to start equating these guys with the guys that have those ahegao faces all over their car.

          “P…p…pull my trigger, senpai?”

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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          8 months ago

          Exactly. It’s a fandom. I love Star Trek, which actually has a moral code attached to it. I wouldn’t call Trekkies a culture.

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          Until a gun is able to shoot waifu body pillows at me I’m not taking this as a valid argument.

          Appropriate regulations would allow the responsible carrying of weapons while stripping people like this of the ability to, well…do that. It would also probably help to normalize the culture in the eyes of the people who speak up against it.

          • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            8 months ago

            That’d be stupid easy to make, just scale up a t-shirt gun. You’ll have to make it, since companies will likely deem that not commercially viable enough to mass produce outside Japan, but nothing is stopping you from doing it.

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          8 months ago

          Until a Trekkie walks into a school or supermarket and kills a bunch of folks with his cosplay tricorder, it’s not fandom. It’s violent insecurity and idiocy masquerading as bravery.

      • prayer@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        “drinking” culture, “bicycle” culture, “car” culture. It’s just a way to express society’s attitude towards those in animate object, and how our lives are impacted as a result.

        Drinking culture in the US determines that you shouldn’t drive while intoxicated. Car culture makes it impossible to get out of the bar withot driving, so it means that the most common way to get your drunk friend home is to call them an Uber.

        • brbposting
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          Also can indicate time frequently spent on something.

          Drinking culture – parties most weekends, select entertainment connected to alcohol (music festivals, nightclubs, tourist destinations)

          Car culture – behind the wheel every day

          Gun culture – engage in discourse, meet friends at the shooting range, hunting

    • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      You won’t find anyone teaching or condoning this sort of thing, only as an example of what not to do.

      Well, anyone competent, some bubba probably has a youtube channel…

    • SomeAmateur
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      Exactly these doofs make us look so bad.

      Open carry is only okay when hunting or out in the wilderness where other animals can hunt and kill you.

      Under any other circumstances it’s a huge liability and gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever as a wise character once said.

      I carry when I can. Very few notice, and those that do know what to look for because they’re doing the same. Responsible gun ownership is not for show.

      • Gabu@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Fun fact: on average, americans have some of the smallest penis sizes. The huge trucks make more sense now, huh?

        • SoleInvictus@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Here’s a hilarious related infographic. I’m sure those self reported numbers are 100% accurate.

          New Mexico and Delaware are apparently the country’s most honest states.

          • merc
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            “As Self-Reported by Men” is doing a lot of, *ahem*, heavy lifting there.

            I didn’t notice that at first, but the idea that dicks in certain states are up to 1 inch bigger than dicks in other states definitely set off my bullshit meter.

  • tombruzzo@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Real men open carry by walking around shirtless with a gun gaffer taped to their shoulder blade so if a terrorist ever tells them to put their hands behind their head they can pop one off when they don’t expect

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    8 months ago

    Wondering if people like this were bullied or abused early in life? That they are now trying to get back some semblance of control, and maintain an ongoing ability to get revenge or get back control that they never felt as a child? …… Besides that, those jeans are about to drop for sure!

    • gaylord_fartmaster@lemmy.world
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      That, or they were just the bullies themselves and want to continue feeling that sense of power in adulthood (and couldn’t make it as a cop, the usual path for that).

      • lennybird@lemmy.world
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        Yeah I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say that the ideology that attracts nazis, bankers, business execs, jarheads, uneducated, racist, sexist bigots were probably the bullies in school.

        • flerp@lemm.ee
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          Because they were bullied at home and yet go on to say things like, “my parents beat me and I turned out fine!” as they beat their own kids continuing the cycle.

    • rayyy@lemmy.world
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      Wondering if people like this were bullied or abused early in life?

      Most likely they are scared folk. The NRA has instilled fear in them even though crime is down.

    • hissing meerkat
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      Everyone I’ve ever seen open carry a handgun has been publically abusive of the people they were with (spouse/children) and it was obvious that the open carry handgun was to make sure nobody intervened in their abuse.

  • TooPoor@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    This guy is easily 6’-7" tall and needs to carry 3 guns around to feel safe

    • el_abuelo@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      Is that some kind of 6-shooter in the small of back? If so…perhaps he should consider carrying just one pistol with an extended mag…would make life easier and more effective.

      • Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca
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        8 months ago

        How do you even grab that one out of its holster smoothly?

        You have to take it with your left hand behind your back, then pop the catch on the holster, then lift the barrel clear of the holster. All that while under fire or in a deadly situation.

        All I can imagine is this guy dead on the ground with his left hand awkwardly caught between his belt loop and his pistol, bleeding from the asshole he accidentally shot himself in.

  • suction@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Oh how I wish these people would actually experience the armed showdown with the US government they all crave. I need that drone footage. Oh the juicy videos from 1000ft above of Skeeter and his J6 posse disappearing in a cloud of smoke like ants.

    • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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      Nah, just a single encounter with a robber or something.

      Either they show their true cowardliness and run away like everyone else, get shot by the robber because they will down anyone with a gun first, or get shot by the police for being confused as the criminal.

      They all have this idea that they are some super hero that will save the day, but the chance of that happening is extremely low.

      • aceshigh@lemmy.world
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        That’s what they saw in the movies (like westerners, or James Bond) and that’s what they’re emulating.

      • aidan@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        get shot by the police for being confused as the criminal.

        I’m really curious how often that happens.

        • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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          Reminds me of “One a in a million?! That mean’s there’s still a chance!” from Dumb & Dumber.

        • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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          There is a chance sure.

          But they are more likely to die from the examples I mentioned, than they would be the hero.

          So no intelligence what so ever.

        • Gabu@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Let me put it this way: you have a better chance of being hit by lighting or struck by a meteor.

          • UrPartnerInCrime
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            8 months ago

            I also carry around a med kit just in case. And a small compass. And various other tools. Always expecting to use none of them.

            Maybe it helps I’m in Florida though, so anything can happen haha

      • Garbanzo@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        And so did Oklahoma City. Pretty sure the Feds are behind if we’re counting bodies for scoring.

    • Fal@yiffit.net
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      8 months ago

      Are you suggesting the US government will drone strike US neighborhoods?

      • suction@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        If suggesting means “wanting to see” then yes. Unless of course those people get off the Maga cult and become human again. The chances of which are slim. They are not Americans anymore anyway, they pledged allegiance to the new global fascist movement. So they need to be dealt with appropriately