Theory: The hysterical people crying out for more guns are just as ill-equipped mentally and emotionally to handle owning guns as are the shooters.
Narcissistic/Delusional: Thinking that average citizens (them) will turn into Rambo and save people from a deranged killer while trained law enforcement officers can't.
Paranoid:
- Thinking that owning a gun = freedom. That is classic insurrectionist thinking; a fallacy, an appeal to fear. Personally, I can't think of anything LESS free than what is going on right now: People walking around EVERYWHERE armed, and legally. That's living in FEAR, not living in freedom. And living in fear is the most restrictive, tyrannical, and option-less way to live. (A Paranoid Personality Disorder is "manifested by a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others and a tendency to interpret the actions of others as malevolent or threatening.")
- (2) Thinking that any discussion about gun control = banning gun ownership entirely. That's a slippery slope fallacy, promoted by gun advocates like the terrorist organization the NRA. These kind of lies also lead to the next item on the list ...
Cognitive dissonance: Whipped to a frenzy by NRA poison, a lack of critical thinking and understanding of the Constitution in general and the Second Amendment specifically means there's so much noise in their heads when they hear the truth it makes them angry and defensive. ("In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel 'disequilibrium': frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc."; "cognitive dissonance has been called 'the mind controller's best friend'.")
The fact that opinions like the above are accepted as valid discussion points instead of being acknowledged as the symptoms of mental illness that they are is depressing and reflects the rampant lack of mental and emotional intelligence in our culture; the lack of leadershipand bravery in our legislators; and the lack of oversight and responsibility in our media. And it reflects a deplorable lack of compassion in our society, a feeling that we are all in this together and that taking care of each other is our primary duty as a species.
We are a nation that is increasingly being bullied by a minority of sociopaths who are more dangerous now because they feel threatened. And we had better address this before things get worse.
Links
Not used above, but helpful:
