this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
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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.
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.
It’s still fear. They’re just hiding their fear behind machismo. Like bullies always do.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
They also confuse people being in fear of them with people respecting them.
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/
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.