As for your Red/Blue bs, let's take CA since you made a big deal of it. The vast majority of the state is Red. And the vast majority of the gun-crimes take place in the TOTALLY blue areas like L.A., S.F., etc. The OP's point was dead on.

I was going to let this topic go until you dropped a critical misunderstanding.

"The vast majority of the state is red" is nonsense. The red counties are big areas of mostly empty land with few citizens.

You are correct that the greatest concentration of people are in blue/purple counties and cities. AND YET despite that huge concentration of people, the statewide gun statistics of 9 deaths per 100K people are still about 2/3 lower than entirely red Montana at 25.1 deaths per 100K people.

Now I'll really stop. Not going to engage you taking it to a personal level like you took things in the last paragraph. You don't know a damn thing about me.

Hey, did you see where I pulled all of those stats from? www.cdc.gov

Show me your source for your self-defense stats.

And yes, there are many places in our enormous country where guns can be justified. I'm thinking rural areas, farms, wilderness. Protection from predators of all varieties is a valid thing. Your living situation may be one of them.

But in aggregate, I'm not "bending" any stats to say that the presence of guns tends to make bad situations worse. Whether that's domestic abuse, depression, children finding guns, or an argument with a neighbor, the availability of guns causes deaths that would not otherwise happen. Shootouts would instead be fistfights. Impulsive gun suicides would instead be less-successful attempts at poisoning or hanging (or not happen at all, if the person has long enough to think about it instead of an instant result). And children straight up wouldn't accidentally shoot themselves or family members because the guns wouldn't be there in the first place.

I'm also an American, born and raised. A firearm will never enter my house, and I'll continue voting like hell for stricter gun laws, as I have since I was old enough to vote back in the 20th century. That's another great part about America - we all have a say in things.

Normally I'm not a fan of straight-end bracelets, but that bracelet looks perfect with that lug geometry. Well done!

The highest crime rates in the USA are in states and municipalities with the most stringent anti-gun laws. Good guys/gals with guns means lower crime rates in the USA. The facts and government statistics bear that out.

Nah man, you're totally wrong.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm

Firearm deaths per 100k population. Here's a little red vs. blue for you:

• Alaska: 26.4

• Louisiana: 29.1

• Mississippi: 33.9

• Montana: 25.1

• Texas: 15.6

• California: 9 (among the strictest gun laws in the nation)

• New York: 5.4 (ditto)

• Hawaii: 4.8

• Oregon: 14.9

• Washington: 11.2

Spotted a trend yet?

Plus, over half of those US deaths (54%) are suicides. Meaning they probably would have been less successful if there were fewer guns around. Using other methods is more complicated and harder to accomplish in a split second of despair. More guns = more deaths.

But it's not like scary criminal gun murders are some epidemic. Nationwide, murder rates with firearms are currently at 6.7 per 100k, well below the highest point in US history of 7.2 per 100k in 1974. So... you're "protecting yourself" against a problem that has been much worse.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

You can talk all you want about guns making people safer, but they don't. [Edited out some snark here, it was uncalled for.] I understand liking guns. Honestly. I shot rifles and shotguns at targets in Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout, here), but they absolutely do not make their owners or communities safer. They provide more opportunity for suicides, accidental deaths - especially of children - and they very rarely are used to stop crime. That's why the "good guy with a gun" stories that actually happen are such big news.

Please continue to enjoy your hobby responsibly. But also please be clear-minded about the facts.

All of the above! And with the growing trend of quick-release bracelets, swaps between all styles are super easy.

Not wanting to sound rude or anything, but the fact that carrying a freakin' GUN is such a normal, everyday thing in the US actually sickens me.

As an American from the moment of my birth, it sickens me, too.

Oh, and to participate in the thread:

• watch of the day (today, Formex Reef black bezel & dial on rubber)

• minimalist front-pocket wallet

• iPhone 14 Pro

• car fob on a nice little paracord loop

• Ontario Knife Company RAT II

I don't even understand the point of wearing a watch if the time isn't correct. 😭

My browser "new tab" page is time.is simply for setting watches.