I have a young son, so my home life is a DC and Marvel universe crossover. A lot of what is on the TV in the evening is superhero cartoons.
Being a gun guy, this got me thinking. The old expression is God created all men, Sam Colt made them equal. I believe this. So what would gun ownership and CCW be like in an America where you are as likely to be the victim of a home invasion by a couple of punks as being the victim of a planetary invasion by a race of ancient, super powerful, inter-dimensional aliens? Or when the guy who tries to mug you at the ATM isn’t just high on drugs, but can also turn his skin into a nearly impenetrable armor?
The basic moral justification for CCW is that no person should have to find themselves at the mercy of a bad guy. What happens when the bad guy can jump tall buildings in a single bound? A gun is a tool by which you can defend yourself. In a super hero universe, I believe that people should have access to weapons that have the ability to take out superheroes. I for one would be carrying, at the very minimum, something high capacity loaded with Hornady’s Mutant Defense Vibranium tipped, Krypton core ammo.
The SHOT Show would be a bazaar of awesomeness. Every company would be trying to hock their latest and greatest in anti-super-villain ordinance. I’d want to see Hickock45‘s review of the new Sig Sauer matter destabilizer. If the bad guy can out run a bullet, you have to level up to directed energy weapons. It’s just basic physics.
Also, if you can defend yourself from rape and bodily harm with lethal force, what about unwanted psychic probing? Could you shoot a telepath for trying to read your mind? I’d support that. Nothing is more personal than your inner thoughts, and I don’t want someone in my head without permission.
I know that there are some politicians who say that it should be illegal for civilians to possess weapons of that power. But would it really matter if I can buy a death ray if there are people running around born with the ability to destroy buildings with a glance or summon tornadoes on demand?
Maybe I’m over thinking it a little. I don’t know. What are your opinions on gun ownership in a superhero universe?
“Could you shoot a telepath for trying to read your mind? ”
You can always go the Narn way and eliminate any Telepath on sight. Of course, that will mean a visit from Bester and the Psi-Corps.
While I understand the need for characters to look up to, super hero movies (don’t know about the source comics) tend to go full “providential man or woman”, with basically everyone else being some sort of canon fodder or background noise.
“Oh please $SUPER_HERO, save us !”
That’s actually one thing sci-fi doesn’t touch on much, at least on TV. For example, in the Star Trek universe, is there a right to keep and bear arms in the Federation? I personally don’t think so, based on the way their society is structured, which is essentially high-tech socialism. They probably figure since there’s no property crimes (you don’t need to steal since you can just replicate whatever you want) there’s no need for defensive weapons against an aggressor.
However, that doesn’t account for people who are aggressors for the sake of being aggressors. Some people just like to do harm and kill.
Also, as later episodes of TNG and DS9 showed, aggressive aliens sometimes made it to Earth. I don’t think the police, even with transporters, were able to be “on site” for all incursions. Could Earth’s people defend themselves? Or was their only option to call 911 and hope the cavalry showed up in time?
That’s just humans though. The Klingons definitely have a RKBA. They all routinely carry pistols and edged weapons.
But it was the Shadows that destroyed all the Narn telepaths in the first shadow war. G’Kar was always trying to procure telepath genetic material so they could again have their own. Lyta remembers.
“Could you shoot a telepath for trying to read your mind?”
Garibaldi says “Yes.”
Ney ney… The story on how the Shadows contacted the Narn homewolrd first is the Book of G’Quan (Drawing of the Shadow vessel was in the book). Remember that Telepaths were engineered by both Shadows and Vorlons. Narns managed to repel that first wave of Shadows and killed every single telepath because they were tainted by the Shadows.
Edit: I remember the story now. G’Kar was trying to convince Lyta to have sex with him and get pregnant or at least by her DNA so Narns could have telepaths. G’Kar explains why the Narns were the only race without them.
It’s simply defense against brain rape.
Plus unsanctioned psykers create a conduit for Chaotic manifestation, which can spread to destroy an entire world or cause it to be purged by the Holy Inquisition.
Don’t allow your world to be lost to the Emperor’s light!
Burn the Heretic!
Kill the Mutant!
Purge the Unclean!
Easy answer. Adamantium bullets. Boom.
DaveP. That’s why I side with the Necrons. In a universe where everyone is shades of evil, the race that wants to exterminate all others must be the good guys.
The Silent King is the leader we need, not the leader we deserve.
Gee, it can’t be because their basic infantry rifles can shred heavy tanks could it?
Well, at least I should be grateful you aren’t cheering for Panzies, Spiky Panzies, or Blue Gitz.
(In response to POD’s question above) In one of the original series episodes, Sulu found a S&W revolver and mentioned that it was exactly what he needed for his collection.