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this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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You're pretty much right. The big difference is that gun ownership in Australia was never widespread. America literally CANNOT afford to do a buyback.
I've broken down the numbers here and on Reddit before and I always get downvoted to hell and back so I cant be fucked. But if every last American just gave their guns back, at an average buyback price of $1000 per gun you're looking at 332 Billion dollars. Thats before you add the other costs like collection, destruction and disposal.
Not even coming close to mentioning the costs involved in handling the "Cold dead hands" crowd, the preppers, the militias and the illegal unregistered firearms.
Aaaaand the destruction of a vast multi billion dollar a year peripheral industry of shooting ranges, gun stores, accessory manufacturers, ammunition manufacturers.
In short, while America needs to do SOMETHING the "Just ban guns" crowd are infuriating in their naivety.
The federal government spent something like 6 Trillion Dollars last year, meaning the cost would be about 6% of our national budget. Knocking off 1/3rd for the people who would refuse to participate, 4%. If the process happened over 5 years, you're talking about <1% increase to our annual budget. And practically speaking, 15 years might be a more reasonable time frame simply given the enormous scale of the thing.
Sure, $332b is an absolute fuck-ton of money. But it's not an inconceivable amount of money. That's not to say we should do it, simply that the argument we can't afford it doesn't really check out.
Like I said, Ive broken down the numbers much more comprehensively before and it always results in arguments that I cant be fucked getting involved in on social media, last time I did it it was effectively a research paper. Its napkin math but you're right, the U.S COULD afford it hypothetically, but it would take a literally unbelievable culture shift in the way 100% of the country sees guns to make it possible.
To get what I think I estimated out to 1.5 trillion over 5 years out of a federal government that cant agree on budgets to pay federal workers for a policy that effectively 50% of the population will be highly opposed to and many will actively and violently resist...
Not with that attitude ;-)
You can if you want to, but I bet the problem is more "cultural", so a shift in people is needed. Like make it illegal to make publicity about it for under 21 yo. And show the grim aftermath in stores selling guns. Then no publicity at all and so on. Tax guvs and bullets, educate people.
We did it with cigarettes, and it worked out really well IMO. Today cigarettes are not "cool" anymore and usage has been falling sharp.
Oh the problem is DEFINITELY cultural. My beef isnt with the idea of gun control its with people saying "Just ban them" like theres anything simple about it.
A buyback of 393 million firearms if everyone lined up and handed them in in an orderly and peaceful fashion likely costing at minimum half a trillion dollars is just a starting point. Thats assuming 100% of the population, lawmakers, lobbyists and the entire firearms industry just goes "Awwwwww... Okaaaaay" like a 5yo who has just been told its time to stop playing and come in for dinner.
Maybe there could be a program where the guns aren't just bought back but resold in conflict areas around the world. Think the middle east or select parts of the African continent. There's always someone to support with some discounted small arms am I right?
How about 332 billion worth of small arms to Israel (worth at least double with all the sick optics and flashlighs). That's a steal and I'm sure Congress could find it in the budget. Hamas would have no chance against some blinged out ARs.
The point is to destroy the guns, not hand them over to people that want to use them to kill each other…wtf.
As someone that is firmly against the free access to guns I cannot agree that it is naivety.
You guys got a serious problem with gun violence, your children are dying in, quite frankly, absurd numbers.
And you keep on letting it happen for decades now.
I am not someone that says just banning the ownership of guns outright from one second to another is the best solution there is. Off course it's not.
But dude, even that strawman solution that pretty much noone actually proposes would be better than your status quo.
"Just ban guns" is the slogan for demonstrations. Any politician who is elected for doing that will obviously need to have a better plan. Usually such plans don't fit on a poster.
Im not American, I'm Australian. I have problems with anyone that wants to run around screaming for solutions that are impossible to implement. It might come from a good place but its just virtue signalling. That goes for people on both sides of any argument, the only thing it does is detracts from any meaningful dialogue on actual solutions.
The gun problem in the U.S is way more cultural than financial, but even if you take all the culture and set it aside like it isnt the core of the issue even the basic numbers of doing a buyback and compensating every person and industry now out of work becomes an insane number very quickly.
If you want to stop children from dying, banning cars and sugary drinks would go a lot farther.
That's such a stupid take, I am not even sure where to start responding.
Of the many, many, many things one might reply I will just pick the simple facts that a sugary drink alone doesn't kill anyone and cars have a real and tangible use to our society, while selling murder-tools at Walmart does not.
And btw I am very much in favor of measures to reduce the damages caused by the sugar industry and putting strict restrictions on dangerous traffic.
So, you agree with me in the last paragraph, but called me stupid first? Get away from that reddit mentality, friend.
Cars are not useful to society, though, they are actively harmful. They create sprawl and discourage walkability, pollute with participate as well as light and sound, and as we were discussing, are the leading cause if death for children in the US. Cars are useful only to individuals, at the expense of wider society.
Holy shit you’re not just stupid you’re straight brain-dead.