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No, I see no need for guns in a peaceful society [13+]

“Law enforcement exists to ensure the safety of the public, but if the public are primitive enough to think that all they need to ensure their safety is a personal firearm, then we better destroy all things civilized and head back to the jungle, because a society where anybody can own a gun is not a society, but a jungle anyways.”
― Abhijit Naskar

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I think the quote confuses the issue and it's not very rational.

Let me be clear on where I stand personally: I see no need for guns in a peaceful society.

1. I have traveled to countries that find little need for law enforcement. Cultures like Taiwan and Japan are fairly obedient and what law enforcement exists focuses on being helpful or combating organized crime... not petty violations.

2. Norwegians use firearms to hunt; they don't use them to kill each other. And many countries have low murder rates because they don't have access to guns and don't use lethal weapons to settle disputes. When I was a student 40 years ago Costa Rica was a peaceful sleepy country. The Reagan Drug Wars, bling-bling tourism, severe inequities of income and access to resources, and the proliferation of weapons have made it a dangerous place. (Don't believe the tour operators. They live to collect your bucks not to dispense warnings.)

3. Collectivity, cooperation, and seeing others as potential friends not enemies is a basic solution, be it economic inequities, racial or religious diversions, or xenophobia. Fear is a great motivator for violence. I live quite peacefully without weapons or fear of my neighbors.

The quote is mere spleen. Yes, I hear the fear behind it, but it provides no solutions.

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