Should a Communist Own a Gun?

Not necessarily.

A communist should organize the masses for revolution using a class analysis and an embedding in local material conditions so as to find better and better ways to organize and build their organization and its power.

Sometimes this calls for arming ourselves, ideally in coordination with each other so that we can defend each other and our communities. But this does not necessarily mean that you "should" have one. At the same time, nothing about being communist disagrees with having one.

I recommend doing gun safety training and practicing a bit, though. If you do get a gun, you'll want to be sure it's safe.

Also in the West, most gun violence is self-harm, so please prioritize your own safety. It's okay to not have one.

Yes, so long as you feel safe and comfortable owning one. There is nothing anti-communist about arming the proletariat.

" Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary "

Everybody's already made really great points. I'd just like to add that first aid training is a good idea too! It's good to know how to help if something goes wrong accidentally, and good to be able to support comrades if needed.

I can't really speak to material conditions in Brazil. And generally I think communist ethics/strategy is much more focused on collective or group action than individual action. Although I think your question isn't so much about communist strategy as it is about you as a communist owning guns.

All that being said, considering the all-too-common purges and massacres carried out against communists throughout history, I strongly believe any communist who is able to should have access to firearms, either as an individual or as a group.

As far as doing it as a hobby, why not? Guns are cool. Soviet guns are cool. 3D printed guns are cool.

More important to organize. PCB-RR is currently your best bet if my info is correct. Having something by yourself won't bring about revolution. That said if you get a gun you must train with it and be able to use it effectively in situations that are similar to real combat. Once you have the skills you should train your comrades.

Firearms aren't the only thing you need for a revolution. Logistics, communication security, explosives, drone piloting, fortification, moving secretly, organization to limit impact of infiltrators, and close quarters combat are all important topics of study for a people's war of liberation. This is all hypothetical of course.

Are you depressed and shit and having one would be a risk to yourself? If not than by all means arm yourself

I can't really speak to Brazil specifically, but I am generally supportative of comrades being armed, unless you are living somewhere that has already had a revolution. Just too many examples of purges to make it feel safe to me.

I am in Japan so we can't generally speaking. Of course, doesn't stop you from making your own...

If you do it if your duty to get trained in handling firearms properly.

It's a dicey situation because it can put a bigger target on your back. If you're black, poor or otherwise noteworthy to the police this could become one of those "police shoot person 5 times in the back of the head in self-defence" situations.

But if you know how to use one it can be useful for protecting you or your comrades against extra-judicial force or in the odd chance of a revolution. But if you're in a gunfight, your odds of survival are already not good, just look at the Marcelo de Arruda case.

But since you're just collecting, you'll mainly be weighing the cons against your own happiness so that's very subjective. It's not a bad idea in itself.

More 👏 communist 👏 gun nuts 👏

From the US, probably a different situation. I personally won’t just because my family is very against having a firearm in the home. I respect their wishes because it isn’t my house and I have no place to disrespect that rule. That being said, I have been to my local range more than a few times and it was fun (aside from bullet costs obv) and I would recommend it to any that are comfortable with that. I wouldn’t suggest it to someone who fears being in the same room as a gun, not making fun of anyone, there are close family members I know who are like that and I don’t care what anyone feels about guns. If someone’s not comfortable, I won’t put them into a position they don’t want, but if they’re curious I would suggest using a gun with a light kickback. The AR-15 is famous for its extremely light weight , how little the kickback is and how customizable it is. It’s VERY fucked up that it’s been used in so many horrible crimes and terrorist acts in the US, but I seriously hate libs that think shooting one is paying an homage to the psychopaths that have used it unsafely in the past. It’s a good gun for getting used to larger guns.

Also do not ever apologize for asking a question, even if someone berates you. They are the asshole, not you.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZEvn7XGt-qc

"the people in favour of guns are the people holding said guns"

Also, https://lemmygrad.ml/c/firearms

Also, personally, I don't want to hold guns. But, by all means, if anyone should, it's us.

Also, the hammer and sickle are not a symbol of weakness.

Personally I do. However the questions of whether your party should arm itself and whether you should arm yourself are different. Ie, I own a weapon because I'm a queer person in a society with many deranged fascists. However I'm not part of any formation with an armed wing

Being Communist alone shouldn't be a reason to own a gun. A firearm is an instrument of self defense. Analyze your potential threats and see if it requires a gun. In some cases, it may do more harm than good.