Okay, I'm just gonna leave this here 'cause there has been so much

[Matrosov]

30. Background checks are anti-liberty because everyone has a right to bear arms

No, the title isn't my opinion but something an 'acquaintance' tried to explain to me the other day. At first I thought he was trolling but he turned out to be completely serious.

Him: Background checks should be illegal
Me: Huh?
Him: They're anti-liberty
Me: They're meant to keep weapons out of the hands of felons and crazies
Him: Felons and crazies have just as much a right to bear arms as everyone else
Me: Felons and crazies have a much higher chance of hurting innocent people with those arms
Him: Yeah, but are they hurting anyone just by possessing firearms?
Me: No, it's the greater likelihood that they'll hurt someone that's the issue
Him: Then they're just being punished for crimes they haven't committed yet. Only commies believe in that
Me: What if they then do go and shoot up a school or movie theater eventually?
Him: Then you treat them just like any other murders. Besides, if every single person carried concealed then the felons and crazies would get shot and killed before they ever had a chance to hurt someone

Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised as he also likes to talk about concealed carry in terms of 'mutually assured destruction.' In other words, if 100% of the population were armed and ready to 'draw down,' then the sane among us wouldn't dare to commit a crime and the insane would be killed the instant they tried to hurt someone.