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The Uvalde massacre brought up a fierce debate in the U.S. (and in several parts of the world) about gun rights and gun-related laws. Many activists, media, and (above all) progressive politicians, argued that the recipe for dealing with the problem of mass shootings is to disarm the public with strict gun control. However, there are those who see this proposal as dangerous and problematic, including podcaster and commentator Joe Rogan.
During an episode of his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, that aired on May 26, the commentator talked with scientist Lex Fridman, and they exchanged ideas on gun control. Rogan pointed out that this proposal was dangerous, since disarming people could lead to greater government control, which in turn would lead to more “totalitarianism” in America. He also said that this measure would leave people defenseless in the face of the crime that is systematically increasing in several states of the country.
At one point in the conversation, Rogan asked Fridman, “how do you stop that?” referring to the most recent mass shooting in Texas. “Nobody knows how to stop that,” the podcaster asserted.
“What’s the answer?” persisted Joe Rogan in his question. “Is the answer to take everyone’s guns? Well, they’re not gonna give their guns up. Only criminals are gonna have guns. It’s not gonna be a good situation.”
“Is the answer to make schools these armored compounds, where you have armed guards outside of every school?”, Rogan asked. “Boy, that’s not something we want either.”
After asking Fridman those questions, implying that there is no simple solution to dealing with mass shootings, Joe Rogan asserted that gun control would not end massacres and, in fact, would make Americans more vulnerable.
“I don’t think it’s wise to take all the guns away from people and give all the power to the government. We see how they are with an armed populace, they still have a tendency towards totalitarianism,” the commentator lashed out. “And the more increased power and control you have over people, the easier it is for them to do what they do.”
Joe Rogan: mental health is the problem
Not only did the commentator say that gun control is not a solution to the massacres, but he referenced an old tweet of his, where he explained that guns are a scapegoat to obviate the serious mental health problem in the United States. “I wrote this thing once that I said, ‘This country has a mental health problem disguised as a gun problem,” said Rogan.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
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