Posted on 04/01/2013 2:33:47 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
The Walking Dead is all about blood, gore – and gun control
• Despite its violence, The Walking Dead mirrors moderate US attitudes on gun ownership and background checks
The Walking Dead finished its third season in a flourish of gunfire and guts, sticking to the pillars of its ratings dominance. While nobody's much surprised by the extreme bloodiness of a show that merges two violent genres – post-apocalyptic horror and the classic western, – what is surprising is that The Walking Dead actually reflects moderate, popular US views on gun control.
That might seem like a ridiculous statement for a show this steeped in gore, but if we trace its use of guns, it becomes clear that the show emphasizes an odd, very American mix of conservative pragmatism and liberal concern about restraints and leadership. (No major spoilers follow.)
The first season of The Walking Dead is almost purely survival thriller. The stragglers, led by a sheriff named Rick, only care about guns as a matter of self-defense. They use plenty of them, but also whatever's at hand. In fact, after two and a half seasons, guns only account for slightly more than half of the show's violence. Characters have killed zombies with a car door, an internet cable, a sword and a chair leg, not to mention the crossbow preferred by the show's most popular character. What's to learn from all this? A clear and present need for self-defense justifies violence, and you can use just about anything to kill a zombie.
Season two slows things down. Amid a lot of hand wringing and hammy conversations, the characters sort out how to live when survival isn't a constant concern.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Fact is right now most murders in the US are not by guns.
My favorite comment:
thorngirl
01 April 2013 4:21pm
Recommend
5
@alexito - I think if zobies rise up, you’ll be able to forgo background checks....
I think we’ll be buggered in england, though, we’ll have to use spud guns
I’ve always been saddened by any picture or mention of the Colt Python. I owned a beautiful one, which I worked and saved for back in the early 70’s, but I got desperately broke once in the late 70’s and pawned it for $150. It hurts me to this day.
No matter what a viewer’s politics are, this show certainly reinforces the desire to be well armed and prepared. I don’t know anyone who would watch this show and think, “Gee, I don’t want to have a gun if zombies rise or something much more likely, social breakdown, were to happen.”
The Civil rights lawyer probalby got more people killed than any other charter. By both action and inaction. For the best of reasons to be sure but... still there it is.
Any zombies who are former BATFE probably have Carl at the top of their dinner menu for that. Homemade silencers are a felony.
The sooner you attract them, the sooner you clean them out.
Have a high, secure perch, and boxes and boxes of ammo.
Or set a trap, perhaps with pits full of gasoline.
Free men are the hunters, not the hunted - a paradigm not appreciated by Hollywood.
DIY crossbows made from auto leaf springs should become pretty popular as ammo runs dry (in 40 years or so) in the show
Carl has a homemade silencer on his.
Any zombies who are former BATFE probably have Carl at the top of their dinner menu for that. Homemade silencers are a felony.
Carl would take them out first.
And he doesn’t care if his silencer is a “felony”.
.
The problem on the show is that the amount of ammo is finite and in demand.
You keep shooting, the zombies keep coming, and sooner or later, you're screwed.
One on one, they are very easy to kill with lawn care or home repair equipment. But you don't want a lot of them around.
Oh, and there really isn't any gun control message in the show, other than maybe, "guns good."
A zombie apocalypse is the exact opposite of a pro gun-control message ;P
Problem is when you attract them they show up at their pace. Maybe they’re a mile away. That was the lesson of the end of season 2, the herd was missing the farm then Rick shot Shane and the herd changed directions. Shoot one zombie now, put of with three zombies later; stab a zombie now maybe maybe none later.
My father has a nickel-plated .357 with a 3" barrel. It feels and handles like a Cadillac in your hand.
Rick stabbed him, Carl shot him.
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