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Protester shot in chest by live police round during Hong Kong protests

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628 points nodea2345 | 2 comments | 01 Oct 19 11:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.618s | source
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nvahalik ◴[01 Oct 19 13:30 UTC] No.21125093[source]▶
> Imagine if the US suddenly had a dictator

This is why we have the second amendment. And the constitution as the thing to which office-holders swear allegiance to rather than to "the party" or "the president".

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1. tekkk ◴[01 Oct 19 15:13 UTC] No.21126204[source]▶
It's admirable that Americans hold their 2nd amendment to such high-degree. If only your politicians and people in power weren't such crooks you wouldn't have to fear in the first place. I live in a country near Russia, yet I don't feel a need to keep an assault rifle in my home. I think the reason you are clinging onto your 2nd amendment is mostly purely sentimental, the legacy of your ancestors and their glorious resistance repeated through years of US history lessons. The fact is, you are mostly safe from your "overlords". There isn't and I think won't be any need for a revolution fought with guns. Your rights and freedoms are slowly dwindled away without you even noticing while you are still hanging onto your rifles like shooting down your fellow Americans would make a difference.

It's make-believe, but I guess it makes Americans feel a little special to know that if you elected some dictator you would have a chance to stop them. Your political rulers know far and well that civil war is the last thing anybody wants. Your judicial and political system in place should, before any Hitler came to power, stop them and prevent coup d'état from happening.

It's worrying that we, people living in highly progressive and democratic societies, would have to fear a dictator suddenly coming to power and having to protect ourselves against it. Why anyone would follow such psychopaths and throw away democratic society with free will? But I admit, humans are highly illogical and emotional creatures, that are deep down still driven by the primal urges that are the same as they were thousands of years ago. Just because we dress in fancy suits and dresses doesn't mean we aren't capable of what the Nazis did less than hundred years ago but I'm hopeful that we as species are still slowly progressing.

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2. filoleg ◴[01 Oct 19 16:58 UTC] No.21127700[source]▶
I dont feel the need to own an assault rifle in the present time in the US, but I feel like you are misrepresenting the point. You have to be prepared for the worst times, not the good times. When the worst times roll, it will be too late to worry about it.