• 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.