I was just wondering what the future of gun control, or “weapons control,” holds. Right now the arguments are about fairly mundane stuff — how many bullets a magazine can hold, the types of bullets a gun can fire etc. But we have to assume that, at some point, technology will radically expand the possible kinds of weapons a person can own. For example, maybe people could have a cybernetic eye that fires lasers, or some kind of genetic alteration that allows a bony knife to shoot out of their hands. The killing power of personal weapons could also greatly expand — maybe people could have their larynx biologically altered so that they can emit a scream that causes the brains of everyone within 20 feet to explode.

Some of the examples above are somewhat facetious, but it does seem possible that within 200 years or so we could have a situation where most people in first world countries will be capable of killing whoever pisses them off (using a cybernetic laser pistol implanted in their hand or something.) And even if these weapons were outlawed, there would doubtless be a healthy black market. How will we interact with each other knowing that one offhand comment, one perceived slight could cause the person we’re talking to to blow our heads off? Will comedians shy away from telling edgy jokes, concerned that someone in the crowd will take offense? Will bosses fail to impose discipline, worried that workers might seek revenge? These are the difficult questions I believe we need to start answering now.