Lawmakers on Wednesday denounced the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, X, Snap and Discord, accusing them of creating “a crisis in America” by willfully ignoring the harmful content against children on their platforms, as concerns over the effect of technology on youths have mushroomed.
In a highly charged 3.5-hour hearing, members of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee raised their voices and repeatedly castigated the five tech leaders — who run online services that are very popular with teenagers and younger children — for prioritizing profits over the well-being of youths. Some said the companies had “blood on their hands” and that users “would die waiting” for them to make changes to protect children. At one point, lawmakers compared the tech companies to cigarette makers.
I grew up with guns, I’ve owned a lot of them myself, and I have both shot and been shot at in a professional capacity when my government sent me to a place with some very angry people in it. I even owned a Glock and a Remington and a Mossberg and those black rifles with two letter names. I owned a Ruger and a 1911 style .45. If I did feel the need for a gun to defend my home, I’d jump through the hoops to get an HK MP5SD because it fires subsonic and is easier to control, as well as easier on the ears when you’re firing inside. My favorite handgun caliber is the .45 ACP, because it has less snap than the 9mm and I find I am more accurate with it. I also qualified as Marksman with rifle and Expert with pistol, and I was on my high school’s pistol team.
So, I also know a bit about guns. Thanks for asking!
I ended up a research scientist, and wound up working on modeling public health and healthcare systems, so I can also talk about guns from a social and a semiotic perspective. Both are actually quite fascinating. My first undergrad degree was in military history, so I can talk about the development of firearms over time and how the different innovations changed the nature of warfare. I can talk about why American people think they need guns, and why the rest of the developed world thinks those ideas are utterly deranged.
I could go on all night about it, but I doubt either of us would convince the other.