Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encrypted Communication

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by Crito on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @10:52AM (#9845795)

A gun ban would not work in America, which is why he brought it up. The American public is already armed, really likes being armed, for the most part is not registered as being armed, actually truly believes that being disarmed is a prelude to genocide, and openly admit that they would use their arms against anyone who tried to take them.

Remember what happened when the Federal government tried to get some farmer to pay for the grazing land he was using? People several states away showed up with rifles, and they had no skin in the matter. If you tried to take their rifles, they (and many others) would try their best to kill you.

If America were full of Europeans, perhaps it would work. It isn't, so any notion of gun banning in the US is nothing more than wishful thinking at best.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by joshuapants on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @11:02AM (#9845864)

The other question is a matter of scales. Mass shootings are tragic, but vanishingly rare. If you propose to ban or strictly control guns specifically in reaction to mass shootings, you haven't weighed the costs and benefits of doing so.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by 15charlimit on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @12:21PM (#9846398)

>actually truly believes that being disarmed is a prelude to genocide

Try, if you can, to provide an example of genocide that wasn't preceded by mass-disarmament of the targeted populace (assuming they hadn't been previously disarmed).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by pjc50 on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @11:21AM (#9845984)

People [from] several states away showed up with rifles

What jail sentences for terrorism offences did they recieve? Or were they shot by police? Or were they white people?

(In other countries, you can't just show up to political protests with weapons!)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by freehunter on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @12:00PM (#9846237)

Other countries don't have that right enshrined in their Constitution. America does, so of course they wouldn't be hit with terrorism charges, Race doesn't matter here. You can show up to the airport with a gun, and as long as you don't threaten anyone or try to get through the security checkpoint, you won't be arrested. If you are arrested, the arrest will be thrown out of the court. Americans have the explicit right to carry guns in a not-overtly-threatening manner in a great many places that might surprise you.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by pjc50 on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @12:07PM (#9846290)

My oblique point was that "not-overtly-threatening manner" is very subject to racist interpretation. There have been a number of well publicised incidents of black Americans being shot dead due to being wrongly percieved as threats, such as http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/cops-shoot-and-kill-man-holding-t...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by Crito on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @11:25AM (#9846007)

> "What jail sentences for terrorism offences did they recieve? Or were they shot by police?"

I think you know the answer to that. The answer is kind of my point, isn't it?

These people are dangerous to push around because they have guns. They realize this. They are not going to relinquish that leverage without a fight.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by pjc50 on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @12:11PM (#9846328)

These people are dangerous to push around because they have guns

This works until a politically opposing group shows up with guns as well.

Would you argue that the group most subject to being pushed around by the state in the US - young black men - would be better off arming themselves?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by Crito on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @06:59PM (#9848695)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulford_Act

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Code Specialists Oppose U.S. and British Access to Encryp... by api on Tuesday July 07, 2015 @11:00AM (#9845853)

This actually adds a lot of nuance to the argument -- one of the reasons you can't just legislate anything is that you must take into account not only technical limitations and requirements but also the characteristics of the local population. Different cultures will respond differently to different laws.

[ Parent | on HN ]