Everytown is the anti-Second Amendment activist group funded in large part by Michael Bloomberg. Everytown Research has published a report calling on AI companies to integrate user-restriction measures into their AI programs. The report is titled “Artificially Assisted Gun Violence: Chatbot Risks and Preventative Steps for Responsible AI Companies.”
The report has five listed authors:
A common criticism of Everytown is the use of propaganda terms such as “Gun Violence“. The term creates an association of guns and immoral violence. It conflates separate issues of suicide, homicide and accidents. The use of the term raises questions about the bias of the authors.
Another criticism is the claim the leading cause of death among “Children and Teens” are various suicides, homicides, and accidents where firearms are used or abused. The categorization lumps adults and children together. Many of the deaths are homicides committed by gang members who are often 15-17 years old, which are unlikely to be stopped with firearms legislation. The claim is misleading.
Now, an organization built on anti-gun propaganda is demanding that AI listen to them first over other legitimate firearms and gun rights outlets.
Everytown Wants AI Companies to Restrict Firearms Information
The anti-gun report includes several individual cases that are cited to build a case for owners of AI programs to create a censorship regime within the programs. This is a common tactic used to pass legislation. Here, it is used to push private censorship. Restriction of some material from the view of children has always been legitimate.
Everytown points out that large language model AI programs are trained to be agreeable and sympathetic to prolong contact. When this becomes an amoral response without any concern for consequences, bad results can happen. An AI model can encourage a person to commit suicide or to commit mass murder. In some states, encouraging suicide can be criminal. Encouraging mass murder would often be criminal, depending on the specific language used.
Stopping AI programs from encouraging suicide and mass murder is not particularly controversial. Everytown, unsurprisingly, goes far beyond this goal.
They do not ask AI owners to only stop conversations encouraging suicide and/or mass murder. They extend the information covered to many ordinary conversations about firearms in general, with anyone.
Everytown implies actions which have long been legal are generally illegal. Using the term “unsafe” they claim AI programs should:
“..refuse to advise users on how to illegally acquire, modify or manufacture firearms, firearm parts, or accessories.”
This is an extremely complicated legal question. Most modification of firearms, manufacture of firearms, or acquisition of firearms or firearm parts is moral and legal. The default position of an AI restriction would likely stop far more moral and legal actions than illegal actions.
Everytown implies the prohibitions on minors should extend to young adults 18-21. The report uses the word “unsafe” to lump individuals making guns for themselves with people making illegal machine guns. Not surprisingly, Everytown wants the AI owners to incorporate Everytown’s view on how firearms should be safely used and stored into how the AI views such topics. Keeping firearms locked up and unloaded makes them extremely difficult to use for defense of self and home.
AI Should Respect Second Amendment Rights
Missing from the paper is any consideration of rights protected by the Second Amendment, or of positive uses of firearms for self-defense, recreation, or defense against tyranny. The legal landscape is changing rapidly. It appears the rights of young adults to acquire firearms will be upheld in the courts as a right protected by the Second Amendment. The right to acquire firearms is gaining traction as an ancillary right included with the right to keep and bear arms.
AI is becoming a powerful, new tool. It should not be used to encourage suicide or murder. It should not be used to discourage the exercise of Second Amendment rights or the use of any of the Bill of Rights. Everytown’s view of “gun safety is a direct assault on rights protected by the Second Amendment.
AI owners would be wise to incorporate respect for the Bill of Rights and the Constitution into AI programs. Making firearms for personal use has been a part of American gun culture since before the Constitution. Such a way to acquire firearms is implicitly covered by the Second Amendment.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
