20 dead in Orlando gay club shooting

[Regina]

I don't really understand this fear of a "police state". We live in a civilized world and not in a jungle where everyone has to save their own skin. The cops, and legal institutions are there to protect the citizens. What's the point of having such institutions if one has to take the law in their own hands? And what is even the point of having laws if everyone has to enforce their own laws? cops, our government, leaders, these are not some aliens dropping from the sky, they are coming from among us, they are the same as us, and we have the power to choose who gets the power, so why do you think anyone and everyone with power is out to get you? They are not a hive mind damnit!

So you have your guns, now say you don't like your president, what's your solution? shoot him? Or raise your voice and get him to step down? If your voice is already a strong enough weapon, why do you need guns?

And again, as a self defence weapon that kills, how many deaths do you expect to prevent with it? Why can't non-lethal solutions be a better option?

I understand the fear of a police state in America in the wake of the whole black lives matter movement, and how they literally do gun down black kids over petty shit like shoplifting or drugs. So in that context, I understand why a lot of especially black and minority Americans might be more reluctant to give their guns up.

The thing is, in a gun-less state even the police don't need guns. Here in The UK most patrol cops do not carry guns, they have tear gas and batons, and maybe tazers. Only very specially trained and senior cops in The UK use guns. That's how we've generally avoided the situation that's happening in The USA, where the police think they're in the Wild West and shoot anything that moves.

I don't think "police brutality" is a good enough reason for people to defend keeping guns. The police need to lose their guns too, apart from the very specially trained ones.