• star_wraith [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    I think the picture of Boebert (and her existence in general) is a nice statement on the left vs the right vis-a-vis guns. For the pro-gun left (probably most of us here), guns are a tool. A necessary, potentially life-savings tool and that's about it.

    For the right, guns are a fetish. It's about signaling the kind of person you are. I mean, I hate the term "virtue signaling" but it's actually kind of appropriate here. For the right, guns are a personality trait. Oh, and also racism - because you gotta be armed up for when those "urban youths" overrun your suburbs like every white reactionary thinks will happen.

    • hogposting [he/him,comrade/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      For the right, guns are a personality trait.

      I'd bet no small part of this comes (paradoxically) from guns being such a hassle. Independent of the legal restrictions in some jurisdictions, guns are expensive, and you need to practice with them a fair amount if you plan to use them for hunting or self defense. All that sunk cost makes it easy to see how people can get personally invested.