Hacker News Reader

Comment by vturner | Hacker News Reader

Replace "gun" in your sentence with say "power tool." Any powerful piece of technology in careless hands is dangerous. Goodness, even computers are dangerous in the hands of narcissistic hackers! That doesn't mean they are not perfectly safe useful tools in the responsible hands.

View on HN

Sure but you actually need the power tool for something.

Need is a terrible basis to judge rights on. Nobody strictly needs free expression either.

Free expression doesn't kill people.

Right, when have words ever been used for anything bad by anyone?

It is widely agreed as a fundamental pillar of ethics and international law that everyone needs free expression.

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translations/en...

Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

I could continue pasting the remainder of the document, but I would argue that the ability to defend oneself (from the State, or other individuals) is the fundamental human right. Without it, all other rights are null and void. Gun ownership is the final fallback for securing our human rights.

No, you don't. You can do anything that a power tool can with an unpowered tool.

Weld. Solder. Mill. Turn. Thickness plane. 90° Join. I can’t see even fairly impractical ways to do all those without power, let alone any practical way.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com