The Turning Worm

A reply from a recipient of my letter on gun violence reads as follows:

“I’ve been flummoxed by the argument that this is the fault of evil people, not a gun issue. Do all these massacres then mean the U.S. has more evil people than other countries? Because if it isn’t the guns that make the difference, that’s the only alternative.”

My answer, in the current fashion of avoiding the words yes and no, was that this is the apparent conclusion of the gun people. But I think this missed the heart of the question which is whether our homicide rate is as high as it is because Americans are more disposed to killing each other or because our regulations on lethal weapons and their possession are too lenient. The answer has to be one or, as I believe, some of both.

Are we more prone than other developed nations to self genocide? Our love of guns suggests that we are. While it can be argued that the hoarding of lethal weapons is just a natural consequence of a greater need for them, this rejoinder by itself only supports the premise.

Our lack of proper control of these weapons and their scope is so obvious that an adult should not have to explain it to other adults, maybe to children. We regulate cars and drivers that can kill unintentionally more closely than guns that are designed specifically for that purpose. Being able to fire a hundred rounds without reloading is not necessary to protect one’s home from a brigand or two, only from regiments.

And some of them may be thinking in terms of regiments, considering the way they’re accumulating ammunition. With every mass murder, sales of guns take off. These types hate government, not all government, just the government they didn’t vote for. We’ve always had sore losers. But they’re more dangerous armed to the teeth. Some of those who didn’t vote for this government are even threatening secession by their states.* Lots of luck guys. This business was deep sixed some time ago at a place called Appomattox.

I don’t mean to imply that all of these people are know-nothings, subversives or gun manufacturers. Many are from the “the next thing you know” school. On its face such thinking is wrong. The next thing you know should not be at issue. On the other hand, as a practical matter even if they lower the clip capacity from 100 to 30 rounds which I favor, I for one would still be all for lowering it further.

Many gun people might agree with much of what’s been written here. They may just think that these considerations are outweighed by the sanctity of the Second Amendment as interpreted by the Supreme Court. They are wrong, but so were isolationists before World War II and that didn’t make them all fascists. Most of them recanted on December 7, 1941. There’s just a chance that Newtown will be something of a Twenty First Century Pearl Harbor.



*If at first you don’t secede…………….