My wife and I, out for a late night walk, were privileged to hear the end of a suburban Maryland shouting match. Dude One had a white pickup truck. Dude Two was walking a pair of dogs. Each had passed the other, truck had made a left turn, range was about twenty yards. I thought F-bombs had a twice-per-sentence limit. But not so much.
Dude One: You better keep walking the fuck out of here, don’t you fucking look at me, you stupid fuck.
Dude Two: [Artfully constructed three-fuck sentence. Exact wording not recorded]
Dude One: [Precise diplomatic phraseology and artful intonation both lost to history]
Dude Two: Because you know I’d bust you the fuck up, you fucking little bitch.
I once heard a guest on NPR explain, “Most people who commit violence are, in their own minds, restoring justice.” Was Dude One disrespected? Absolutely. Dude Two as well. But there it ended. A dude in a truck doesn’t get out to confront someone with two large (if domestic-looking) dogs. A dog-walker doesn’t chase down a pickup to wrestle the driver. Each gave as well as he got, justice was served, end of story.
So tell me, how is this better if everyone carries a gun?