this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2026
1212 points (94.4% liked)
Comic Strips
23371 readers
3410 users here now
Comic Strips is a community for those who love comic stories.
Rules
-
π Be Nice!
- Treat others with respect and dignity. Friendly banter is okay, as long as it is mutual; keyword: friendly.
-
ποΈ Community Standards
- Comics should be a full story, from start to finish, in one post.
- Posts should be safe and enjoyable by the majority of community members, both here on lemmy.world and other instances.
- Any comic that would qualify as raunchy, lewd, or otherwise draw unwanted attention by nosy coworkers, spouses, or family members should be tagged as NSFW.
- Moderators have final say on what and what does not qualify as appropriate. Use common sense, and if need be, err on the side of caution.
-
𧬠Keep it Real
- Comics should be made and posted by real human beans, not by automated means like bots or AI. This is not the community for that sort of thing.
-
π½οΈ Credit Where Credit is Due
- Comics should include the original attribution to the artist(s) involved, and be unmodified. Bonus points if you include a link back to their website. When in doubt, use a reverse image search to try to find the original version. Repeat offenders will have their posts removed, be temporarily banned from posting, or if all else fails, be permanently banned from posting.
- Attributions include, but are not limited to, watermarks, links, or other text or imagery that artists add to their comics to use for identification purposes. If you find a comic without any such markings, it would be a good idea to see if you can find an original version. If one cannot be found, say so and ask the community for help!
-
π Post Formatting
- Post an image, gallery, or link to a specific comic hosted on another site; e.g., the author's website.
- Meta posts about the community should be tagged with [Meta] either at the beginning or the end of the post title.
- When linking to a comic hosted on another site, ensure the link is to the comic itself and not just to the website; e.g.,
β Correct: https://xkcd.com/386/
β Incorrect: https://xkcd.com/
-
π¬ Post Frequency/SPAM
- Each user (regardless of instance) may post up to five (5 π) comics a day. This can be any combination of personal comics you have written yourself, or other author's comics. Any comics exceeding five (5 π) will be removed.
-
π΄ββ οΈ Internationalization (i18n)
- Non-English posts are welcome. Please tag the post title with the original language, and include an English translation in the body of the post; e.g.,
SΓ, por favor [Spanish/EspaΓ±ol]
- Non-English posts are welcome. Please tag the post title with the original language, and include an English translation in the body of the post; e.g.,
-
πΏ Moderation
- We are human, just like most everybody else on Lemmy. If you feel a moderation decision was made in error, you are welcome to reach out to anybody on the moderation team for clarification. Keep in mind that moderation decisions may be final.
- When reporting posts and/or comments, quote which rule is being broken, and why you feel it broke the rules.
Web Accessibility
Note: This is not a rule, but a helpful suggestion.
When posting images, you should strive to add alt-text for screen readers to use to describe the image you're posting:
Another helpful thing to do is to provide a transcription of the text in your images, as well as brief descriptions of what's going on. (example)
Web of Links
- !linuxmemes@lemmy.world: "I use Arch btw"
- !memes@lemmy.world: memes (you don't say!)
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I'm not a republican, but I don't think anyone is saying gun crime doesn't happen.
It's easy to say that banning guns = no more gun violence. But the devil is in the details. Given the U.S.A's history with guns, banning them will have consequences. Not can, will.
Let's not forget that a gun ban will only affect law abiding citizens.
Comics like the one in OP always ignore the primary underlying difference between US and the other developed nations: free, nationalized healthcare vs the Insurance Apocalypse that is the American healthcare system
Yup. If Americans struggling with poor mental health had better access to professional help, crime as a whole would go down. But it's not the only factor. Things like financial strain and environment also contribute. Crime is a slippery slope. Not a leap.
Agreed, but financial strain is part of what keeps people from getting care in the USA
Free healthcare would alleviate some of that
Agreed, but it's a vicious cycle.
It does cost money to provide healthcare. Funding doesn't come from thin air. But healthcare in the U.S is also ridiculously expensive. A lot of people can't afford it without insurance (if your insurance even covers what you need). The system needs fixing.
Then tax the rich. There's no reason for Jeff Bezos to pay less money than someone flipping burgers at McDonald's.
Unfortunately we're caught in a Republican scheme to remove government benefits by gutting taxes that was started during Nixon's adminitration
I don't disagree with you there
Americans pay 10x per capita for their healthcare, compared to other countries like the Nordics or Germany. Still, the costs of the war on Iran would have funded public healthcare for all for how long? Decades?
Americans subisdize Israelis free healthcare that includes access to abortion care
Exactly this. If the US had proper social safety nets and low income inequality, all violence (which includes gun violence) would drop.
Also note that the arguments like in the OP only ever mention gun violence. It seems dishonest that they need to be that specific to get the narrative they want.
It's not just heathcare.
It's social services period. Safety nets. Security.
The US tells people to get fucked then arms them and wonders why this shit happens.
Well it's a start.
You could also then make sure that America doesn't have a gun centric industry that is saturating your market with easily accessible guns.
Then also make sure your society is restructured in a way that actually prevents people from mentally breaking down so far that they'll cause extreme violence.
In the end it will still require banning guns.
True. But the U.S. has more guns than people. And a lot of them aren't registered, so law enforcement doesn't know they exist. Plus the people who own them won't just happily give them up. So if you ban guns, how do you reasonably plan to enforce it? (That wasn't a rhetorical question, by the way.)
That's not my main issue with gun control, but the way I see it guns are just a tool used to commit those crimes. You want to put a stop to it, you go to the root of the problem. Banning guns would be treating the symptom instead of the problem.
This is a saturation issue. It'll take a while to clean up, but ultimately remove the market for guns, and the perceived social status from owning a gun, would reduce this issue over time.
Crimimals wouldn't have so many unregistered guns in the first place if there weren't that many guns available from the beginning.
Escalation has proven to not be the answer. You don't solve the problem that saturation has caused by creating even more saturation.
Well, Australia managed to disarm a significant portion of its population in the past, so it's possible.
But when it comes to America I'd reckon it'd be a rather slow process. One that simply starts by removing the availability of new guns on the market. Don't have to start taking away people's emotional support collections yet, just make sure nobody can start a new one.
Guns are weapons. Weapons exist to threaten, bring harm, if not outright kill another living being.
In areas where hunting is common, maybe the argument for them being useful tools to have can be made. Outside of this specific niche there is no reason for the public availabity of any weapon.
I consider it a symptom and a problem.
Weapons also exist to defend, but you only make the arguments that suit you.
You don't need weapons.
Thats your opinion. I disagree.
It's a fact. And you're simply wrong.
Lol OK buddy. Dictionary.com exists btw
I suggest you go use it, then.
I actually memorized the dictionary. You should try it as well.
Ah yes, because banning guns means they cease to exist. You realize that even if guns are no longer sold in the U.S., they can still be smuggled in from other countries along with other contraband like drugs and counterfeit cash. That's how criminals in countries like the UK manage to get their hands on guns despite guns being banned. This is what I mean when I say "violent black market". Guns can also be 3D printed.
I don't know why you're bringing up Australia's gun control as proof that "it's possible". Australia doesn't have anywhere near the same history that the U.S. has with guns. It's like comparing apples and oranges.
I helped you by putting some of my words in bold.
Yes, the UK. Infamous for all it's gun crime.
No, it's comparing smarter humans to backwards primitives.
You know, for a second you had me thinking you were something more. But you turned out to be a clichΓ© American anyway...
Ah well...
Your comment quite quickly devolved into an ad hominem. If you had a strong argument against anything I said, you would have used it.
It's not an ad-hominem if people like you are the reason why a problem continues to be a problem. Considering the position you have chosen to take, my argument can no longer be against the subject itself exclusively, but is also directed against you personally.
"Itβs not an ad hominem"
"My argument can no longer be againt the subject itself exclusively, but is also directed against you personally"
That is the literal definition of ad hominem. You just contradicted yourself. Well done.
As Hominem:
Source; Meriam Webster.
So a question to you, if someone who is a known liar makes an argument, and your counter position is that that someone is a liar and should not be taken for their word, are you making an falacious argument?
If someone were to present a problem, and you have made yourself an active component of said problem, is the person pointing out your part of the problem making a falacious argument?
Think about that. I doubt you will, but this starting to derail, so I'm just going to leave now.
Your argument kind of tripped over its own shoelaces there.
Calling someone a liar can be relevant, but only if you prove it with evidence tied to the claim. Otherwise it's still an ad hominem.
I liked your smug little exit line to dodge pressure. It's the debate equivalent of throwing a smoke bomb and walking away like you won.
Not making a specific argument for or against your argument, but I'd like to object to this like:
I've seen this argument used a lot, but it's a broad generalization. You are assuming all criminals are the hardest criminals who will disobey any law, but a lot of law breakers and a lot of gun violence perpetrators are first time offenders, or someone who thinks they can get away with minor things.
A lot of people will do legally ambiguous stuff if there's a low chance of being caught and punished but wouldn't put themselves on the line for more heavily enforced things, plus even just the hint of illegality will put a type of social pressure on someone.
Will hardcore criminals still get and use guns? Absolutely. Are all gun deaths perpetrated by hardcore criminals? Absolutely not. Even that annoying brandishing couple at the BLM protests a while back would likely not have had the courage to bring out their weapons were it illegal to do so, since they tended to abuse law and loopholes rather than outright break them. They're a milder case, but the point works with others who carry for "personal protection" but are a little too trigger happy. Plus stuff like legally owned but carelessly stored etc.
Are you saying that committing a mass shooting is legally ambiguous and people think they are likely to get away with it? Because buying a registered firearm in the U.S. Isnβt illegal. I'm not sure what you're getting at. You're also kind of implying that people who do shootings are mostly opportunistic, when in reality there are likely other factors at play.
Nah, I'm mostly saying it isn't black and white. It will have some effect on all layers, but I agree it wouldn't stop all violence. To take your note about school shootings; yes, many of them are from legally purchased firearms, often a parent or something. Not all of course, so a gun ban would probably reduce, but not eliminate, school shootings. Plus outright bans aren't the only form of gun control the US hasn't tried, there are multiple things that can be done to limit without outright ban guns.
That's true, and I can't argue with you there. Banning guns would solve some problems, but you'd also be opening pandora's box.
Given the US' history with guns, banning them would almost certainly fuel a violent black market, making it easier than it already is for criminals to illegally obtain unregistered firearms. And with an estimated 400 million guns already in existence in the US, it would be really difficult to enforce, even if you did manage to pass a law. And loopholes exist like gun shows and private sales.
Regulating but not banning outright would be a slightly better solution, but it wouldn't be a silver bullet (pun not intended).
I've always said banning guns doesn't make violent people incapable violence. Trying it during a time where we can 3D print guns isn't really realistic. Its a cultural issue.
Well said
Firstly, you don't need a 3D printer to make a gun. Any plumbing store in America can sell you the supplies you need to make a gun.
Secondly, 3D printers make shit guns. Plastic has a low melting point and high elasticity. You'll get off two shots if you're lucky, before your bullets are firing sideways.
Thirdly, you don't just need a gun. You need ammunition. And ammunition is much more difficult/hazardous to produce.
If you're crazy enough to decide you want to become a revolutionary/reactionary anti-government insurgent, you'd be stupid to try and make your own gun from scratch. Bombs are easier to manufacture, simpler to deploy, and much more effective against the kind of people an anti-government activist has beef with.
I think you're really underestimating 3d printed guns. There are some alarmingly reliable 3d printed 9mm semi-auto carbines that can be constructed with zero gun parts (source: I built one back when it was still legal in my state, but destroyed the receiver when registration became mandatory)
You're correct about ammo, but I'm pretty sure making a bomb without reliable, stable explosive compounds is extremely dangerous
I have seen 3D guns in action and they have never failed to disappoint.
Maybe a professional gunsmith can turn cheap extruded plastic into something useful. But then they can just make a real proper gun.
Sure. Both of these hobbies are of dubious benefit and serious safety issues
There are many different polymers with a much higher thermal resistance and elasticity. You wouldn't use PLA.
The gun used to take out UHC CEO was 3d printed. Wired did a cool video on it
Was it? I don't believe they ever actually recovered the murder weapon
The people of Myanmar used 3D printed guns to overthrow their government.
I'm starting to think you just don't know what you're talking about.
No they didn't. They're in the midst of a horrifying civil war with no end in sight. The current military junta is massacring people by the score with airstrikes. Over 5M people have been displaced.
Are you looking into a mirror?