Many on both sides of the gun debate are under the impression that the best way to settle it is by weighing outcomes in the context of a cost-benefit analysis. As a result, both sides constantly squabble over the findings of this-or-that statistical study in this-or-that country. Those who favor gun ownership cite studies supporting their side, while gun-control supporters cite studies that purport to show the opposite. As a result of this reliance on a cost-benefit methodology, the contemporary debate on gun ownership has largely, and implicitly, taken a utilitarian approach.
While I happen to think that the best evidence suggests that gun ownership does not increase crime, let’s grant for the sake of argument that common gun ownership results in more harm than benefits. What follows from this?