RE: Gun rights or copsucking? Your choice.
One early evening I was leaving a friend's house after playing some music together. As I left, I was accosted by a neighbor who was clearly intoxicated, waving and pointing a large revolver of some sort. He was actually holding a liquor bottle in his other hand, practically a caricature.
He was angry about something related to our jam session, maybe the noise, but it was impossible to say as he wasn't very coherent. I raised my hands away from my body , palms open, and spoke softly in case he thought me a threat, and said, "Hey brother, relax, what's up?" He ranted a little more about having a CC permit, seeming to calm down a little, so I added "you know this might be considered offensive display of a weapon..." to which he replied "and YOU know I could just blow your fucking head off" to which I responded, "Good point, see you later," got in my truck and drove off.
That guy should not be allowed to own a weapon. But what to do about it? If I call the cops, they're not going to protect me from the guy, and they might not even believe my word over his. What would have prevented this dangerous incident? What would prevent it from happening again to someone? I have no idea.
the cops would certainly have investigated and finding him drunk and belligerent with a gun would possibly have arrested him for any number of things. eventually he might stop doing that, or the next guy he threatens might just blow his head off. Or he will kill some hapless hippy or woman. Or he will run a family off the road while drunk and go to jail for that.
Alcohol is the worst drug.
The potential externalities at play here stem from the abuse of alcohol, not firearm ownership. Cars and heavy machinery can kill scores of people and are much more easily obtained than firearms. The spectre of widespread firearm ownership deters criminality at large. Statistics at the DOJ show clear downward trends due to increases in CCW and longer sentences for armed felons.