Gun promoters justify semiautomatics by ignoring lethal differences

Evidence

To alleviate any moral qualms about putting high-powered, semiautomatic firearms in children’s hands, the promoters rely on exonerative comparison. A reader of Junior Shooters challenged the justification of military-style semiautomatic firearms: “Why do you need a semiautomatic gun for hunting?” The editor of the magazine, Andy Fisk, reacted to the objection with the worn comparative justification, “They’re a tool, not any different than a car or a baseball bat.” He went on to focus on the similarity in the mechanics of different types of rifles while completely disregarding their differential lethal properties: “It’s no different than a junior shooting a . or a shotgun. The difference is in the perception of the viewer” (McIntire, 2013). — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1357 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Gun proponents use advantage comparison and euphemism to downplay lethal differences — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1357; Advocates rhetorically minimize firearms lethality escalation through false analogy — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1122; Proponents conflate firing accuracy with impact extent and target identification (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Gun proponents use advantage comparison and euphemism to downplay lethal differences #expands (0.95) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1357